Joy of the Season
by xnobody13
Summary: A Holiday tale concerning Noire and Win, who both go through their own personal adventures as the Joy of the Season rings loud. Rated T. Have a good Holiday, everybody!
1. Chapter 1: Win Homeless

Chapter 1:

It was two days before Christmas, and all through the house, every creature was stirring, for a big party had been planned. A magnificent party, one only known in legend, was being prepared for the wondrous holiday that brings love and joy to millions, allowing them to live through the sadness that is the rest of the winter season.

In the bedroom, Noire was busy posing in front of a mirror, hoping that the dress she crafted was more than enough to make her at least presentable (she could always get the bust correctly for every outfit besides this one). In the main foyer, Uni grew restless as she contemplated whether changing the drapes to a holiday-themed color scheme or keeping them the stark white classic would be better. in the Pantry, Kei Jinguji tripled-check every single piece of useful supply needed for the greatness that was the party, though naturally she found the whole thing a headache to set up. In the rest of the Basilicom...

Oh, wait, there's only maids left? Could have sworn Nisa lived there or something. Where does everyone else live? Jeez, now I confused myself. Where was I?

Ah yes, the party thing. Every year, whether talked about or not, Noire hosts one of the biggest gatherings in all of Lastation. For every holiday she endures, Christmas was the only one she really cared about, and the only time she would actually look so happy with everything. Of course, after Christmas brings on the old CPU, much to a few's chagrin.

This year's festivities will be even bigger than the last, at least according to some of the ads Kei wrote (which are often written as: "Lastation has a party. It will be better than last year. Yes, indeed. Show up if we like you." Quite the charmer, no?). The whole Basilicom, barring a few private rooms, is opened to all the guests, including the outer perimeter areas like the garden in the back, which was adorned with all the lights of the holiday (except white. Noire will never live that one down with Blanc).

There were musical guests, strange games to be played, and of course, the annual gigantic feast known only to the CPU's of lore. It took a lot of work to set up, naturally, and once everything was done, the majority of the maids often asked for triple the payment, some of the newbies walking away from the job if the party grew too hectic. Still, it was one of the best times to be alive on Lastation, and if Noire actually had fun with it, then certainly there had to be something about it.

So, since we now know how people live in the Basilicom, what about the rest of the city, and perhaps the towns that surrounded the capitol? How did they live during this beautiful time of the season?

In the majority of the city, families gathered with loved ones as they sat by the fire, telling stories of the past, including even a ghost story or two. They settled down at the table, where a smaller, yet still heavily symbolic meal awaited them. Fathers and Mothers took the time off from work to spend as much time with their children, though naturally they reserved themselves the fate of being constantly asked what the Santa-tome will give them this year. All-in-all, the city was lively with happiness and spirit.

But not every soul had bountiful feast before them, or a roaring fire and blanket to keep them warm, or even a roof over their head. There were some that would never receive a single invitation from the Goddess, or see many of their family members in time for the most wonderful day of the year. Instead, the only thing that met them was the cold weather that shrouded them in a blanket of remorse.

Lady Noire knew of the hundreds that unfortunately had no home to claim. Many found themselves there thanks to their own doing, while others were, with the lack of a better word, screwed over one way or another. The City did its best to keep these people afloat in their dilemma, but there is only so much you can do for what society perceives as the lowest common denominator. For them, the only happiness they see is whatever spirit they held within.

Luckily for many, even their saddened state was not enough to erode the season. The homeless knew of their blight, but in a strange sense, they always kept themselves together, and even if there was no feast or party to attend, they will still find something to make the best out of the worst. Noire admired that out of them, and that just made her even more guilty that she still couldn't help them.

Unfortunately, even with the best of their abilities, the days prior to the grand one were met with the harshest cold spell ever seen this side of Lowee. Those that had nothing left huddled as close as they could to one another, often basking themselves around a drum set on fire. While the more fortunate had their laughs indoors, the homeless sang their carols with the ice freezing their breath.

…

Around one burning drum was a group of about 10 people, some old, some young in their days. They stood in an alleyway between some sort of card game shop and a store dedicated to selling knick-knacks and kiddie toys. Normally these folk wouldn't be allowed to stay here thanks to the store owners, but perhaps it was the elation of the season that allowed the kindness to show through. Unfortunately, that still didn't guarantee them a roof, and with the snow falling down at a greater speed, that was something they really could use.

It wasn't the biggest drum, so they of course had to struggle to keep the flames on them. It was a sad thing to witness, yet oddly enough, the people forced to endure this seem to have a smile placed upon their lips. As they kept their hands in the fire, the group managed to make some small talk, telling of tales of past ventures, and maybe throwing in some self-deprecation here-and-there. Every so often, you heard a slight chuckle, and even some of their cheeks lit up from their otherwise pale complexions. It was quite the miracle to behold.

Among the taller folk stood a girl of small stature, one that was probably older than how she looked. Her hands pressed the closest to the flames, though still managing to avoid any chance of possible burn. Out of everyone there, she certainly wasn't the youngest, but she was probably the most recent inductee into the hall of the homeless. The others were hesitant of her at first, but through her kindness did they accept her. Besides, it didn't take long before she became just as dirty and cold as they were on a daily basis.

Her name, made in such a way that one wonders if it was ironic right now, was Win (she didn't mind being called "Winnie", however). She was becoming known as one of the top soccer (or whatever you prefer to call it) players in all of Lastation. Why, just two weeks ago in her most recent game, Win delivered the most goals against the Leanbox M. Chiefs, bringing her team a grand victory. She was loved by many, and even a few corporate sponsors tried to use her image (including ASIC at one point. I still have no comment). The only people honestly not familiar in Lastation were those that had no chance to hear about her, and I guess the people that she's with now were those people.

And yet, with all the admiration and possible money she receives, she was still considered the all-time low of society. No one there ever inquired about it, though sometimes Win let a few facts slip through. Whatever the case was, she wasn't able to just walk back and join her team these days, and though they still have some victories over the other teams, it just wasn't the same without their star player. Oh well, she always told herself, if she couldn't do anything about it, she shouldn't feel so bad. Still, the fact that she was probably disappointing a few good people out there sometimes kept her up at night.

No matter what had occurred, Winnie found herself with those she always supported; those with nothing to give back. Whenever she won, she anonymously donated whatever money she could to help the less fortunate, no matter the circumstance. Of course she never expected anything back; as long as they got some happiness out of it, she a-okay with giving them whatever they needed. I have a bad feeling I know how she became homeless.

"Win-chan, sorry ta' botha ya, but may ya please scoot ovah?" A woman with a distinctive accent asked her, feeling as if she was being pushed back. The soccer player nodded to her with a smile, and managed to make some room for the woman. The rest of the group, comprised of all women minus one small boy, still made some heart out of all this.

"So, I guess I should ask you all, and sorry if I offend any of ya's. Christmas is coming up and, well, I know it would be difficult, but got any plans?"

She was the elderly one of the group, and her worn skin only appeared more wrinkled within the flames. Out of all of them, she was here the longest, perhaps longer than even a decade. She knew that life on the road was horrid and painful, but there was always opportunity somewhere within these alleyways. The rest of the group, clearly not as old as she was, looked all around.

"Well," one girl began, "I really want to see my sister again, but she's all the way down in Leanbox. God, I don't even know if she still lives there!"

"I guess I want to get some flowers for my ex. Look, don't look at me like that, alright? I still love her, and and that bitch she's with now doesn't know anything about class!" another spoke soon after.

One by one, every person said something. Even the little boy had a wish to accomplish this year, and that was to meet the Santa-tome and give him/her a "big-o'-hug," leading to the obligatory "aww" from the rest. They all chuckled at their dreams as more and more fuel was added to the flames. The sounds of the flames cracking only made the moment that much more friendly.

Of course, only one voice didn't speak.

"Win-chan?" The elderly lady asked out of the blue. The soccer player, who was busy licking her lip after a snowflake hit her tongue, jumped as the flames grew brighter. She looked at the woman with a look of sheer innocence. "We haven't heard from ya, girl. Anything you want to say?"

The soccer player was struggling to even remember what was asked, and when she did eventually remember, she was struggling to figure out an answer. What was she going to do? It was obvious that pretty much all the people at the drum had no chance in accomplishing her plans, but at least they had aspirations. She was a freaking popular and beloved Soccer player not too long ago, and yet she didn't even have a plan to get back on top and get back on the team. What type of teammate was she?

"Umm..." was all that Win could utter, wondering herself what her false-plans were. The others were looking at her with an earnest expression. _Golly, what do I say? _She thought, a look of fright playing upon her, _do I just lie? But, I never lie! Eh...wow, uh..._ Even her mind began to fail her.

The woman next to her, one of a tall stature, gave her a motherly expression as she patted Winnie's back. "Do you have any loved ones you miss? You look like a girl with lots of love."

The soccer player looked at the woman's eyes, feeling the warmth only a mother could give to her child. Her gentle hands put Win's head at ease, and suddenly, she felt as if there really was plan within her all along. Oddly enough, though, it was not the plan that was thinking about before. In fact, it sounded kind of...well, strange, at least coming from her.

"I guess...I guess I want to, I don't know, go to that Christmas party Noire's hosting. I really respect her, you know?"

Her words still felt strange, but at the same time, she knew that the words were genuine. If she didn't experience this whole bout of homelessness, she would've been with her team at the big ball, meeting the CPU herself. It was rare for them to actually meet the leading woman of the land, and it was something that Win looked forward to for a long time. To tell you the truth, there were some matches where Noire was able to be at the game live, and when Win saw her for the first time, well...let's just say she was very inspired by her appearance. She often attributed her success to the CPU.

She hoped that her answer was more than enough for the company she found herself with, and to a few, like the little boy and the motherly woman, it was a great plan. Unfortunately, the rest didn't share the same sentiment. "Well, good luck with that one. Why would the Goddess want street trash like us in her Basilicom?" One of the other girls mentioned, snorting as she continued to fuel the flames. The motherly woman shot her a look.

"Don't say that! Noire loves everyone, including us!" she said, standing her ground, holding Win's hand as tight as possible. The soccer player couldn't help but feel a little bashful. Still, she agreed with her words, and she even made a small frown at the other woman.

The girl who wanted to send flowers to her ex folded her arms. "Look you two, I know the both of you are hopeful and all, but look at us. We are literally less than a dogoo right now, and if she actually loved us, we wouldn't be huddled like this!" she spat into the flames, which only made it cackle even louder; the little boy was more-or-less amused by this.

Win shook her head. "She does love us! She loves you as much as any other person!" Winnie said, feeling a strange sense of entitlement grow within her. "Besides," she further elaborated, "I know we're in a really bad place, but she does whatever she can to help us! You can't fault her for not trying!"

The lot of them shook their heads. "At least you're cute, Winnie, because that brain of yours really isn't that good," one of the said, once again spitting into the flames. This made the Soccer player look down; she still looked angry, but now a feeling of rejection started to play on her features. She didn't know Noire personally, but she had to be nice, and she had to...no, Win _knew _she loved everyone equally. Some were given a bad hand, but that doesn't mean she wasn't trying her best to right the wrongs. Hell, as far as Winnie knew, the majority of these people probably got them into this position thanks to their own shortcomings (though the soccer player could never say that).

Still, her beliefs did not prevent the tears from building up. "She...she is nice, and when I meet her, I'll proof it to all of you!"

A laugh was heard to her left. The woman with the accent was trying to hold it within her, and the motherly woman shot her a glare. "What's so funny?"

"Aw, nothing, lawdy. It's just'a, well, how ya gonna meet the Goddess anyhow? I don't know much, but'a know that ya can only get into the Ba-silly-com via an invitation. Ya got one there, Win-chan?"

Win looked confident at first, for she knew that an answer was building within her. Since she was on the Soccer team, she had full right to enter that party without a worry. It was just one of the benefits of being an athlete, after all.

But that confidence quickly waned when she realized that the invitation they received was for the whole team, not each individual member. Thus, she can only be admitted if her coach was there, and that would mean that she would have to be with everyone else. Why she couldn't just find her coach, well, that was another story about her origins into homelessness, eh? In the end, she unfortunately had no other way to get into that party. That kind of blew.

But she wasn't going to give up. That wouldn't be like Win, now would it?

"I-I'll get one, I'm sure of it! Heck, even if I don't get one, I'll still get into that party. You know, maybe I can get all of you into the party, too!" The whole group around her laughed, though Winnie knew it was against her. She made a sigh, hoping that she could accomplish that plan of hers, and finally meet Noire face-to-face. Looking around her, she too wondered if what she just said could occur; though they laughed at her, she still cared for these people as if they were family (even if they only knew one another for only a short spell), and wanted each of them to find the happiness they deserved.

The motherly woman tightened her hold on Win's hand, and the soccer player looked back into her eyes, the tears still somewhat evident. "Do you think I can do it, ma'am?"

She gave her a wonderful, warm smile, and the tears were dried from Winnie's eyes almost immediately. "Your name is Win, correct? With a name like that, I know you can do it," she said, the smile becoming the brightest thing, even eclipsing the fire nearby. "You know, I still don't know much about you, Win-chan, but I can tell you're special. I think you can do anything."

Another blushed leaked onto the soccer player's cheeks. "Wha-What? N-N-No, I can't do that much! My name is just a name, you know?" Her flustered expression was quickly calmed by her friend's kind look. Soon, even Winnie found herself smiling, the tears of rejection never to return. "Still...thanks for standing up for me. I know she's a kind and sincere soul, and no matter what, I want all of them to know that there are people out there that love them, even the CPU herself!"

The motherly woman chuckled sweetly, and in a gesture that we can only presume to be of friendship, kissed the soccer player on the cheek. Win's faced flared up quicker than a firework's explosion. She knew it was of friendship, but to feel the gentle nature of the other lady's lips made her feel quite joyful, to be honest. The lady could only chuckle in a sweet manner. "You're just so cute, Win-chan!"

"uhhh...uhhhh..."

The other girls there gave them looks, and as they did this, they noticed a tiny little body walking down the alleyway, barely bundled against this blizzard-like storm. She was holding a bear close to her tiny frame, and a hand was placed over an eye, an indication that perhaps she tired, or merely restless.

"Yo, lovebirds," the girl with the ex began, raising a finger over the fire, "You might want to look behind ya."

The motherly woman and Winnie quickly looked away from one another, embarrassment settling in, before the older woman looked behind her. When she laid her eyes upon the tiny body walking down the path, she could only gasp. "Isabel, what are you doing out here?"

The motherly lady ran up to Isabel, holding her close, realizing that the tiny body only had a thin jacket over her pajamas to survive against the chilly atmosphere. When she spoke, even though it had a tired feel to it, she still sounded childish and hopeful, something Winnie cherished. "I wanted to be with you, mommy."

The apparent mother of Isabel held her daughter close, hugging her as tight as possible. "Izzy, you shouldn't be out here. It's way too cold and dangerous! Why aren't you at home?"

Isabel was struggling within her mother's grasp. "'Cause I wanted to be with you, mommy! Daddy was really angry again, and he yelled at me," she said, the tiredness even more evident in her voice. Her mother held her even tighter, a tear building within her eye. "Why can't you come home?"

Winnie felt the heartstrings being pulled, while the others around the drum merely rolled their eyes. "And the plot thickens..." muttered one of them. Winnie shook her head at them.

Her mother drew a big sigh. "It's...it's really complicated, Izzy. Still, it's a lot better there then here. It's cold! Come on, I'll bring you home."

"No!"

Isabel locked her feet solid on the ground, and though her mother tried to lift her, her daughter proved to be quite the opponent of that idea. Some of the people around the drum laughed out loud, the flames being fueled even more, some of the snow being incinerated by its sudden might. "Izzy, please. I don't want you out here!"

Her daughter shook her head. "Well, I don't want you out here, neither! I'm not going back unless you come, too!" her voice rang through the blizzard storm, a sharp wind standing no match against the emotion she displayed. Her eyes, still filled with the lights all children come with, told the whole story to her mother, who was still in disbelief. She was correct, though; the outdoors in a condition like this would never suit the life of a child, no matter the time. However, when dealing with a kid that was only experienced in seeing disappointment, there was no way convincing them would ever suffice.

"Izzy..."

"No means no, momma! I don't care if its cold! If you're cold, I'm cold! If I'm in danger, you're in danger! I'm staying with you, and that's that!" the young child broke the hug and folded her arms, a puff cheek sealing the deal. Win felt horrible to be witnessing all of this, but she honestly had no idea what to do. It was sad to behold, and in honestly, the soccer player wanted to wrap her arms around the little girl and give her all the warmth she possibly could, but if her own mother couldn't succeed at that, how was she supposed to?

The elderly lady sighed. "I understand how you feel, little lady, but listen to your mother. It really isn't safe for a young'un like you to hang around, especially at night," as she said this, she gave a depressed look at the little boy that stood nearby, who appeared to have toned out the whole ordeal. Shaking her head, she continued: "I would go home, now. Besides, it's almost Christmas time, no? You shouldn't be up so late to begin with! Go back home, little girl."

The woman the ex laughed. "Besides," she started, "you ain't going to get any warmer around these parts. This drum already has to many people around it, so you'll probably freeze by morning!"

Win shot her a look as the mother tried to use their words to convince her daughter, but unfortunately Isabel still wanted to stay. "I don't care! Christmas isn't Christmas without mommy!" her words hurt both the mother and the soccer player, the cold around them suddenly feeling much more significant than ever before. The little girl began to cry, and held her mommy close. "I don't want to leave you, mommy! Please!"

Her mother shook her head, a sad sigh escaping her lips. The woman with the accent threw her hands in the air. "Look, girly, it ain't all 'bout ya mom and all, and tha dangers and stuff. Ya stay here, ya won't be warm! Sorry, but none of us ain't stupid enough to give up their position, ya know?"

Those words hit Winnie in a rather odd way. She didn't like that selfish attitude the woman was giving, but she understood it. Even with a child in question, leaving this burning drum would probably be the worst mistake you could ever make. No heat in this weather would be the end for that person, for sure. Isabel probably walked a long distance to get here, so who knows how long she has been exposed, especially in her outfit clearly not fit for this. Sure, they could scoot over, but even with the open space her mother left, there was still not enough for the huge crowd. Adding an additional person would just not work; you didn't have to be that close the fire of course, but let's just say that the snow was not allowing the heat to properly radiate, so it was either all of the heat, or none of it.

And Win knew what was going to happen. Isabel's mother tried, but she knew that trying to persuade her daughter would be futile, meaning she was going to stay here. In order to keep her warm, though, her mom would probably sacrifice a lot, and that would mean no more heat for her.

Winnie wasn't going to allow that, and when she saw her about to open her mouth, the soccer player quickly stepped in. "Isabel, you look really cold. Come on, stand here. Your mother should come, too."

The elderly lady knew what Win was about to do. "Win, are you sure about this, child?"

The soccer player turned to her and gave a nice little smile, even throwing in a little thumbs up. She then stepped out away from the flames, walking to the mother, who's eyes were wide with bewilderment and oddity. "Winnie, no. I don't want..."

Win did a strange reversal of what should be expected and actually petted the older woman on the head. The little Isabel was confused by what was going on, the unjust rules of the world still foreign to her, but when she saw the famed soccer player up close, her tiny eyes, already aglow with childlike curiosity, lit up even brighter than the greatest lights on the most wonderful day of the year. "W-W-Win-chan? Are you W-Win-chan?" she asked with the stammering not from the freezing temperatures around her.

The mother looked at her, confusion still taking front-and-center. "Izzy...how do you know Win-chan?"

Before the young girl could answer, Win placed a finger over her little mouth, a wink being produced from her eye. Isabel was still filled with wonder, the mother getting further and further confused as the time wore on. The snow only fell heavier.

The soccer girl let her finger off of Isabel's mouth, instead allowing her hand to pet her. Let's just say that the little girl was more than elated to feel her idol's hand on her hair. "Hi there, Isabel. Are you a fan of me?" Win asked, feigning a little bit of ignorance. The mother was still left out of the loop as her daughter once more flared up, nodding her head at a quick speed.

"A fan? You're the coolest soccer player ever! Who isn't a fan of you?" she asked, even doing a tiny twirl, her body somehow withstanding the horrid conditions of the winter season. She beamed a smile at her mom, and the mother in question turned to look at the young soccer player, starting to grow annoyed that she still had no idea what was going on. Win noticed this, and waved a hand in the air, a gesture she commonly used out here to signify "Just go with it." The mother was willing to, but it still vexed her. Her daughter was still talking up a storm "...and the posters and I even collected a lot of your cards and daddy's girlfriend bought me a soccer ball you used once and..."

Win was surprised to see that she had such a compassionate, small fan, and she couldn't lie; it was simply warming her heart, making butterflies jump all around within her. However, her words suddenly stopped, as Isabel suddenly had a question to ask. "Wait...if you're the greatest soccer player ever, why haven't you played in so long?" her eyes were suddenly filled with the same feeling her mother was experiencing. "Hey, wait a minute...why are you out living on the streets? Shouldn't you be very rich and living in a huge mansion with a big pool and stuff?"

The soccer player felt bad that she might accidentally disappoint one of her most passionate fans, so she kept her smile on, even when she felt like a frown would be necessary. "Well," she began, a slight chuckle coming out of her lips, her free hand scratching the back of her head, "let's just say I'm, uh, taking a break! Yeah, I wanted to spend time away from the game for the holidays, you know? As for the streets...I, uh, wanted to spend time with the less fortunate. Yeah!"

The others around the drum looked in anger at her as the little girl nodded with understanding. "Ohhhhhhhh..." the high intensity of the h's showing how much she completely understood her idol, and even though to everyone else it was far too obvious to tell she was lying, Win was relieved to find that she wasn't outed yet. The real reason she was out here would probably decimate her fan's mind, and that would not be a good thing. She resumed petting Isabel's head.

"So don't you worry about it, okay? I do wish you did change your mind and go somewhere better than this, but if you want to stay with your mom, well," she looked back at the drum, its occupants still fueling the flames, the snow trying desperately to end the heat prematurely, "You need to promise me that no matter what, you stay with her and keep near the flames, okay? I don't want anything happening to my favorite fan!"

She petted Isabel, who was even more elated than ever before. "Um, okay! It's a pinky promise!" She stuck her pinky out, and Win was happy to compliment it. As they shook their smallest fingers, the mother grew concerned. She couldn't convince her daughter, so that was already a low-blow, but now it seemed that Winnie won't be keeping herself warm. She knew that it was either right next to the flames, or nothing at all.

Ignoring her other questions about Win's past, the mother went to her friend and hugged her. "Win, please tell me you're going to be warm, too! I'll give up my spot if I have to. I can't stand to see you cold!"

Win hugged her back, a move that made both of them feel quite odd with themselves. "Don't worry about me, okay? I can't stand to see either of you cold, either. You daughter deserves to be warm, and so do you!" her words were kind, and even when speaking to the mother, she honestly sounded more like the mature woman here. The older female was honestly touched by her soothing voice. Win then broke the hug, patted Isabel on the head once again, and then started to head out towards the street.

"Wait, you're not staying?"

The soccer player turned back to them and gave them all a thumbs up. "I wish I could, but I need to think of some things right now. Walking around might help me, you know?" The mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, so Win rose her hand once again in a calming manner. "Don't worry about me. I know how to keep warm out here. You need to worry about yourself and your daughter now."

The mother held her daughter close, while Isabel waved goodbye, needing not to say anything more, feeling so awestruck that her idol actually spoke to her. Man, she should have asked for an autograph. "Win," the mother began, still feeling the water around her eyes, "t-thank you. Please, be careful, okay?"

Win nodded to her. "You can count on me. Besides, I won't be gone long. I need to talk with Izzy a little bit more, you know?" she said, making the little kid cheer. Once again, Win began walking towards the streets, the normal nightlife of the city appearing non-existent thanks to the horrid weather conditions. It appeared that a calm walk was to be expected.

However, just as she rounded the corner, the mother called out once more. "Wait, before you go...who are you, exactly?"

Her words were kind, and the soccer player felt that she should know everything. However, though it seemed rude to do so, she decided to instead shoot the mother a faraway smile and say, "I would tell you, but I think Izzy over there is ready to say it." The little girl looked extremely excited, shooting a thumbs up herself to the young soccer player.

"I won't let you down, Win-chan!"

Win bowed to them, and finally she left to the street, walking on the sidewalk as very few lights greeted her against the falling snow. Though she loved helping the mother and daughter, once she realized that the cold was truly unforgiving, regret immediately began to sink in. She rubbed her palms together, desperately trying to keep some sort of heat on her. _Don't regret anything, girl. You did the right thing. If I freeze, at least it wasn't them. _A nice-if-slightly-depressing thing to think about, but she was feeling horrible that she couldn't have at least attempted to stay at the drum. Sometimes her kindness angered her.

Still, she couldn't really worry about it now. What was done is done, and she really did want to take this opportunity to think about everything. Most importantly, though, she wanted to figure out just how, exactly, she was going to get into that party at the Basilicom. A long and dark road awaited her.


	2. Chapter 2: Win Alone

Chapter 2:

She managed to cross about 10 blocks before her legs began to give in to the elements. The upper half of her body, a jacket covering her rather light soccer uniform, was at least something, but her lower half was only covered by mere soccer shorts; if she knew that homelessness was going to come quick, she would've definitely invested in some more prevalent winter wear. She didn't even have boots on, instead only having her athletic shoes to comfort her feet.

Her hair was completely covered with snow particles, which began to stick all too well to her freezing head. Her breaths were far more subdued, and she huddled within herself as close as possible, honestly looking like an old, shriveled woman. Even when breathing whatever she could into her hands, it was no match for the decreasing temperature around her. If she didn't find any heat soon, she was surely going to freeze to death.

She only saw one car on this very night, a family of four with their two children sleeping in the back. Thanks to the conditions of the road, they had to drive as slow as possible, and the wife saw the young soccer girl. Unfortunately, the snow obscured her vision; if she saw that it was Winnie, she probably would've made her husband stop, but unfortunately, she passed the soccer legend off as just another homeless person that would probably hurt them. Such is the stigma on the less fortunate.

Eventually, she had to take a break, and chose to sit down right on the sill of a rather large window. On the other side was a display of big TV's, each showing some strange advertisement for a wide variety of products to get over the holiday season. Even with Christmas literally two days away, they still found it necessary to advertise to the very last minute. Even though the lights generated energy, and thus should've been a great source of heat, the window prevented a lot of the radiation, and thus Win was left with nothing but frost.

As she sat there looking at the dark buildings of businesses sleeping the night away, she began to realize that throughout her walk, all she could think about was her own safety, rather than her plan to get into the Basilicom. To some people, it would make sense to prioritize your own safety over your own desires, but to Win, she thought it meant she was becoming a selfish simpleton; have no idea how she arrived at that conclusion. Now here she was, sitting alone in the dark, with only the illuminating lights from the window and the occasional streetlights to keep her company.

She looked down the path she came, her footsteps already becoming obscured underneath the new blanket of snow. Staying out here any longer would be a dumb idea, so she thought about going back to the drum; honestly, she shouldn't have strayed too far out to begin with, but I guess she lost the track of time on her tiny journey. She wanted to feel the warmth of the fire so much, hear the chatter of her newfound friends (even the ones that insulted her), and even cuddle up with that mother and her child. She found that she felt the warmest when she was near them, and she hoped that right now, they were okay.

But she knew that she couldn't go back now. If she tried, she would only collapse underneath the barrage of snow falling down. Hell, she began to think, she couldn't even continue in any direction, and if she sat down like this any longer, once more, collapse was inevitable. It was a terrible situation to find herself in, and sadly there wasn't any clear way out of this. It saddened her, but at least she kept Isabel and her mom warm. That was all that mattered.

Trying desperately to keep herself warm, the TV's behind her quickly changed to an ad, starring none other than the CPU of Lastation herself. The background was filled with all things the holiday season, with colorful lights dancing all around a gigantic tree, with ornaments both and off its beautiful branches. Trinkets of gold and silver were on a reddened table, with a gigantic object sporting plenty of lit candles resting on top of its mantle. The Lady herself was sitting on a chair adorned with garland of all sorts covering the back, with what appeared to be mistletoe and berries sitting on the edges. The Goddess was wearing a strange form of a "female santa" outfit, complete with the red color and even a hat. She had a warm smile, one that melted Win's heart when she turned to face her.

"Greetings to all of you. I am CPU Black Heart, ruler of the wondrous nation Lastation. I am here to simply wish you all a great holiday season. I understand that the weather is certainly not the best to behold, but even throughout all this, I know all of the joy in the land will shine through the heavy thicket. Please, even though this is a time of happiness and relaxation, I want all of you to be careful while on the road and on the trams. I wish you the best wherever you go, and I hope you have a grand time this Christmas. Thanks to all who put their faith in me, and I promise you all that when the next year comes, I will continue to be the best leader I can be..."

Let's just say that she sounded extremely robotic and fake; did Kei write the script, many had to wonder? Her voice sounded lovely, but everything came out wrong, and judging by her seating posture, she didn't seem very comfortable doing this. The strangest part, naturally, was that this was playing literally before midnight, though it was probably just a replay of a broadcast made, who knows, probably a few hours ago now eternally on a loop. In the end, it was kind of clear that Noire is definitely a great CPU, but she was never the one for a grand speech...

...and yet Win loved it. She watched her Goddess speak, listened to every individual word that escaped her lips, allowing their meanings to soak in. Even when almost an icicle at this point, she suddenly felt a lot warmer than before, feeling a rising sense of hope building within her tiny frame. Even when the screen shifted back to showing some weird old farmer spraying a dark chemical over his crop, she felt at peace, the cold feeling of freezing not a worry upon her mind any longer. For a moment, it was as if thousands of flames did their beautiful dance around her.

"She is a great leader," she suddenly said in the darkness, her voice still filled with life against the frozen air around her, "She is. I know she is."

Her friends from the drum thought otherwise, but she knew that they were wrong (or at least heavily judgmental); hell, if she had the guts to do so, she would love to say that she was the most benevolent of all the CPU's of the land. There are homeless in the nation, yes, but that was just something that unfortunately couldn't be avoided. She still wished them the very best during the Holiday season, she still treated them as citizens of society, and she still thought of them as more than just a simple dogoo. While her beliefs could be correct, in full honesty she was only basing this off of the few things Noire had recently said. Oh well, whatever kept her hopes up.

The clock on one of the TV's listed the time as 11:11, and as soon as she saw it, Winnie felt as if a sleepy spell was casted over her. Her eyelids became heavy, her head began to nod back and forth, and suddenly the environment felt less impactful than ever before. The hope coming from Noire was her blanket, and the darkness gave her the wonders of what was once her nice bedroom within her nice abode.

But as she began nodding off, she immediately punched herself square in the face. "What are you doing? You can't go to bed yet!" she yelled, her voice groggy but her mind somehow still in the picture. As if on cue, her warm feeling finally drifted away, instead leaving her a Popsicle inside this unforgiving world. The dreadful frost once more returned to her features, and a lone sneeze brought back the harsh reality she nearly forgot.

Should she fall asleep now, who knows if she would ever wake up. Her mom said that falling asleep in the dastardly cold like this could essentially, well, kill her unless there's an ample fire nearby. Right now, in the condition that she was in, falling into a slumber would definitely be the last thing on her "to-do" list.

"Gotta...get warm somehow," she said, struggling to stand up, her feet feeling like cement slowly hardening her bones to a still. Once she stood, she immediately wrapped her arms around her frail body, walking slowly as her teeth began to chatter. The warmth of Noire left her behind very quickly, and she wondered if she would ever experience it again. The thought of getting into the party was now just a lingering memory at this point.

As she walked, she passed by one of the many businesses in the area. Dubbed "The Generic Card Shop with Generic Cards," The doorway was already closed off by iron bars, with the only to unlock them being a key to be placed in the middle (appeared to be a two-way thing). The owner, a tall woman maturing at a fast rate, sat stationary behind a checkout counter, reading a newspaper with barely a hint of light nearby. Besides the car with the family, this was the only other person she saw awake at this hour, though it was clear that even she was about to go to bed (I guess she lived there, considering the second floor and all).

For some reason, Win found herself staring at the woman for the longest time. As the snow drifted and found a home on her, her body began to quiver again, not being able to withstand these conditions that much longer. The room was barren within, but it looked much more hospitable than the pitiful excuse the streets gave. With her breath as equally frosty as her tired soul, she made the realization that she would definitely not make the trip back. She would not make the trip forward.

But she could make the trip towards the building.

Using the last of her energy, she ran up to the locked door, placing her fingers through the small openings of its fine architecture. Naturally, the door refused to budge open, but that didn't stop Winnie from constantly shaking it. She probably was only doing it because her mind was subconsciously begging her to get to warmth, but it was the loudest ruckus the woman ever heard. She placed the newspaper down as she looked at the young soccer player. To her, Win looked like a frozen-over zombie.

"Sorry kid, but we're closed till the 27th. Go back home, it's freezing out there!" she yelled in a rather shrill voice, picking up her newspaper once more. Win sneezed again, still shaking the door, trying to find any words that could use. Another sneeze escaped her lips, causing the woman to once more look right at her. "Look kid, get outta here or I'm calling the police. If ya want something, maybe your parents got it for you. Seriously, get lost!"

Feeling slightly agitated at being called a kid (she was surprisingly older, though this is coming from her and her only), Win felt a tear slide down her cheek as her voice began to choke. "P-Please, ma'am, m-may I come i-in. Only for a sec!"

The older woman rose an eyebrow, vexation prevalent on her face. "I'm sorry, what? Did you seriously just ask me if you can come in? Kid, look, do I appear dumb to you? Beat it, already!" With that, she flung her hand at Win and continued to read. The soccer player, feeling her fingers growing ever so numb, did not let up on her advances.

"Please, please l-let me in! I'll pay you if I h-have to. I don't have m-much, but I can! I...I don't have a h-home..." the depression leading out of her character was quite poignant, but it was all true. No home, no place to call her own...she had some credits on her, yes, but really, the amount she had wouldn't be able to afford even one card from this shop.

The lady sighed and shook her head. "So you're homeless? Look kid, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I have a reputation to uphold here, ya know, and if any of the other businesses around here see that I'm allowing a streetwalker like you into my store, I'll look like a buffoon! Sorry, but look elsewhere!"

Win felt as if any hope she was holding onto was just scraped away, all gone in a split second. She knew it was futile to even try and convince this lady, but dammit, she didn't expect to be kind of insulted. It was a lost cause for sure.

Still, Win was not yet willing to give up.

She dug deep into her pocket, hoping for something to get her out of this mess. She pulled out an old wrapper, her "card" that forever held no value, and even some pocket lint on the side. She checked her other pocket, praying that even the small amount of cash she had was actually still on her person. The woman behind the counter shook her head, and rested her hand on the phone, just in case the police needed to get involved.

At last, Win felt the feeling of metallic copper greet her fingers. A tiny smile rested upon her face; a prayer to Noire was all it took for her to accomplish this. "Thank you, milady..." Win whispered to herself, holding up the credits to the opening in the door. "Here! This is what I have! P-Please, Please take it!"

In her hand was the total value of, well, 10 credits. It could, if she was lucky, buy her a potion or something from a marketplace, but prices always tend to go up, especially within the holiday season. Still, even with the potion, the value was essentially useless, and the soccer player wished that she was able to save up just a few more; maybe she could've gotten out of this mess.

The lady looked at the money, and with the roll of the eyes, slammed the paper down. "Okay, okay! You're money's no good, all right?" her words still sounded very venomous, and the newfound hope within Win began to be purged. However, just as soon as her hand grew too tired, the woman continued her speech. "Still, I...I can't just let you suffer out there. Just make sure you don't tell anyone I did this, okay?"

Win's eyes brightened up to the point that even the woman behind the counter had to squint. The young soccer player nodded her head vigorously, feeling pretty good. The snow that covered her body quickly became meaningless, and the tired feeling of possible death finally eluded her. Finally, in this damned night, she could finally rest in peace.

"Thank you thank you thank you! I can't thank you enough! You're a really kind woman!" her words were filled with beauty and kindness, though even she still felt some pain at the woman. Still, she should at least have the ability to survive the night; that was all that mattered. She would then be able to wake up tomorrow and find the mother and Isabel. She really wanted to hug the two of them right about now.

The woman finally made it to the door, snatching the credit out of Winnie's hand. Placing it into her pocket, she then began to unlock the door, but a slight tilt of her head allowed her to look at the Soccer player closely for the first time.

And as she did, anger fueled within her.

"Hey, wait a minute," she began, stopping herself from unlocking the door, "aren't you Win-chan, the soccer girl for Lastation's team?"

Win felt cold as she saw the key leave the lock without unlocking it. "Well, um...y-yes, yes I am! I know it looks weird, but um, I-I have a good explanation for this!"

She looked into the woman's eyes, and all that hope, all that warmth, all that joy that she just got through experiencing, all gone within that instant. She didn't expect a warm reception from the other woman, but to see what she thought was pure hatred and rage instilled fear upon her weary body. The tired feeling began to sink in.

"So you ended up homeless, eh?" the venom being produced from the woman's mouth scared the ever-loving hell out of the young soccer girl. Cautiously, Win nodded. A laugh came from the woman, anger growing evermore prevalent. "Well, I don't want to know how this happened, okay? What I want to know is where were you during the last few games?"

Win's mouth felt frozen as she tried to speak. "I-I...I was..."

"Because of you, Win, I lost out on a lot of money! You led the team on a winning streak, and I was becoming rich! Seriously, before you just suddenly walked out on the team, I could have bought all of these businesses and still have enough to survive for the rest of my life! You were my darling Winnie. And then, I bet all my winnings on the match you left. The team lost so badly, and I blame it all on you.

"So with that, I nearly became homeless! My shop here nearly closed down, and I nearly lost my goddamn mind! I'm just glad it's Christmas time, because if this happened like in October, I would be finished! Hell, I'm still in a deficit, and it is all thanks to you, kiddo. Because of you, I essentially became, what, less than nothing?

Win felt like she was about to cry. "I'm...I'm s-so sorry, madam. I really a-am! I didn't re-realize I caused so much-"

"Oh, screw off!"

With that, her credit was taken as the woman shoved Winnie to the ground, making her land hard on the unforgiving snow-covered street. "After all you did for me, I wouldn't mind if you froze up! Have a great night, you little bitch!"

And thus, the woman left Win behind, walking up the stairs presumably to her bedroom, never to be seen for the rest of the night. Win just sat there in the cold, looking at the locked door in disbelief. Soon, the lights went out, and once again she found herself in the cold, dark, despairing world.

Somewhere in the city, a big bell began to sound off. Five minutes until midnight.

The young soccer player, with little to no strength left, huddled close to herself, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry," she kept constantly telling herself, her voice getting shakier and shakier by the minute, "I'm so sorry! I sh-should have never let you down! I'm so s-sorry!"

Overcome with guilt she most likely didn't deserve in the first place, Win managed to stand right back up, and keeping her arms close to her, she continued on the path. She decided against going back towards the mother and Isabel; even if she could make the journey, she didn't want them to see her like this.

As she walked, the elements began to finally weigh in on her. Her mind became hazy, and at some points, she felt as if she randomly blacked out, if only for just a second. There was no one out on the streets; it was only her, and anyone else that was too afraid to step out into the light. All the lights in the buildings were completely out, and only the faint hum of the TV's from before broke the barrier of silence the snow created.

In some regards, Win felt as if she was goner, and yet she didn't care anymore. All hope was lost, and even praying to her lady would probably only damn her further. She let down a soul; a fan of hers that relied on her skills. A fan that became the happiest soul in the city thanks to her. A fan that now held barely the amount to live off of.

She let that woman down.

Isabel was still her great fan, but Win just couldn't think about that. She never viewed herself as good, but she knew people liked her. She loved seeing everyone happy, and in the case that someone wasn't happy, she did her best to get them into a state of bliss. That was probably her weakness, in all regards; she wanted to please every living soul on the planet, which from the experience of pretty much everyone, was impossible to accomplish. If even one person remained sad or disappointed because of her, she would never live it down.

That was why whenever she got her big paycheck, the majority of it went to every charity she could think of. If she got roughly 2 million credits, more than half of it would leave and go to the less fortunate. Some people despised her for it, believing she did it only for selfish gain, but no matter what, the smiling faces of those who needed some happiness in their lives was all she needed. If she could please the naysayers, well, that would be even better.

She sometimes did resent her charity, though. It probably lead her to being in this position in the first place. Still, it was the least she could do for the world.

But now none of that mattered. Instead, she focused only on that woman who snapped at her. Her money was long gone, and Win was responsible for it. She knew the team could carry its own without her, but perhaps it was the sudden disappearance that made them suddenly go from being the top team, to being a little more than average. It wasn't her fault for leaving the team, but she would never accept that fact. Instead, she placed all the guilt upon herself, a look of depression glazed over her tired eyes.

She didn't disappoint Isabel, at least not initially, but knowing that her legs were about to give out, she was probably not going to see her again. How would the little girl react when she hears that the young soccer player froze to death? It chilled Winnie to the bone, and the tears began to fall once again.

But worst of all, at least in her faith, she let her lady down. Noire watched her in those few games, and she wondered if, now that the team was starting to lose its dominancy, the CPU of Lastation was annoyed at her, probably being like the woman and blaming her as well. That made her shudder, almost to the point of falling to the ground. How could she let the one she prayed to down like this? More tears were produced.

Honestly, she thought, she must deserve this then. She didn't deserve any kindness if she couldn't reciprocate it. If she was to freeze out here, then fine. Unfortunately, her mind was fraught with chill and fatigue, to the point that even her own conscience was beginning to fail her. You see, if she was to die tonight, then she wanted to be in a dark alley somewhere, just so the police couldn't find her and scare Isabel. She knew the young child would already be worried, but she didn't want her to know her useless fate.

Of course, her mind didn't really rationalize this, as instead of heading into an alleyway, she began heading towards a park that finally came into view. For some reason, perhaps because her body knew it was giving up, she began to run towards the park with the fitness of her heyday.

Unlike the rest of the city, the park was completely lit up, with thousands of lights and decorations surrounding each and every tree. Big snowmen and Holiday dogoos dotted the landscape, with even hundreds of Santa-tomes appearing everywhere. Big gumdrops and Candycanes with peppermint rope surrounded the pathways in and out, and even the big lake in the middle was brightly lit for the holiday season.

But perhaps the biggest attraction of this park was the humongous evergreen tree, the largest in all of the land. From the top all the way to the bottom, each branch had some sort of decoration for every holiday known to man. Bulbs of different sizes and lights of different magnitudes radiated off of its majestic form, illuminating the surrounding perimeter with the spirit of the season. Just by looking at could send someone's heart to their happy place.

If Win-chan was in the right state of mind, she would have immediately fallen in love with the splendors around her. She actually did frequent this park a lot during her life, but never did she actually visit it during this time of year. Oh, if only she could see the beauty, perhaps she could forgive herself of the sins she never made, but alas, it appeared that her time was finally coming up.

She wasn't even thinking about where she was at this point, and everything she saw was a blur. All the decorations were irrelevant when death was creeping up along the way. For the most part, she merely looked at the gravel road below her as the snow continued to fall, as if taunting her failing body.

However, as soon as her body was ready to collapse, her nose picked up the scent of smoke, indicating that somewhere nearby was a fire. She instinctively looked up, and through the bluriness, through the harshness of the lights and weather mixing together, she saw a bright flame roaring against the sea of white.

The fire, made in the style campers would make, was there for what appeared to be a show for people to watch. Around the flames were the four CPU's of the land (statue's of course), with a tiny horsebird sitting within a blanket. It was the classic tale of how all the four nations banded together to help the poor creature (who's wing, I believe, was injured from a bad fall) survive the night in the wild, until the herd finally came back and claim it. Every nation told the story, and it quickly became a holiday staple in recent years.

Unlike everything else there, the fire was completely real, though how it continued to burn without anything fueling it was always a mystery. Still, Win's body detected the heat, and perhaps in a last ditch effort to remain alive, she quickly ran up to it. Her mind, still in shambles from the cold, began wondering if anyone was around, though seeing as how everything was quiet, it seemed that she was perfectly and unfortunately alone.

With that, she let out a groan as her legs finally gave up. She fell onto the grass with a thud, her eyes peering at the dancing flames before her. She tried to think, but alas, her mind eventually forced her to a state of slumber. The last thing she could think of is whether or not she would see the sun tomorrow.

Thus, there she was, surrounded by the CPU's, never once getting a chance to think of how she was going to join that party. At this point, everything just felt so insignificant.


	3. Chapter 3: Noire's Problem

Chapter 3:

As the bells around the city prepared to strike the hour of midnight, the Basilicom of Lastation finally became a quiet haven for all within. Once bustling for over a week in preparation for the grand party, the maids and the workers finally gave a sigh of relief, as the final night before the festivities dawned upon them. All the decorations, all the bells and whistles, all the necessary requirements were set up and met for the big day; everything was done on schedule. Heck, the only thing left to do was to actually cook everything, and with the exception of those odd meals that took nearly 24 hours to make, that can all wait for tomorrow.

With that, nearly an half-hour was left for the 23rd, ready to successfully transition into the eve of Christmas. Kei Jinguji, honorable Oracle of Lastation, bid the workers a save journey as they left the premises, and the maids soon departed to their respected rooms as well. As the lights brightened the rooms of the otherwise drab head-building, Kei herself decided to move towards her chambers as well, everything that needed be done being done.

Uni was already asleep by this point, so as the Oracle departed to her own rest, the only one left awake was none other than the CPU of Lastation herself, Lady Noire. Unlike everyone else, for the majority of the day, the Goddess found herself locked away in her own private room, staring towards her mirror with a frustrated look plastered all over that adorable face of hers. Normally, on an occasion such as this, the lady of the house would find herself helping out with the decorations of at least the Main Hall. It was only the kind thing to do.

Unfortunately, she found herself at odds with, well, herself. You see, many within her nation knew of her existence, and have even occasionally gotten a glimpse of her in public, though most of the time it was for simplistic or normal reasons such as speeches or nationwide alerts (there were those days were they dressed as idols. No one had the faintest clue behind the reasoning, but everyone soon determined that a reason wasn't necessary). Thanks to her constant exploits in saving the world or saving her nation from crumbling, many have inadvertently discovered how she acted, much to her chagrin. Sure, she was a hero and a very able leader, but hearing her calm demeanor suddenly turn all tsundere was just too adorable for some souls out there.

But no one, with the exception of her Oracle and Sister and oddly Neptune (Marvelous as well, though I don't know if she exists here), knew of one of her favorite hobbies. When no one was looking, she would occasionally dabble in the fine art of cosplaying. Whether it was dressing up for the sake of doing so, or to attend a convention (her outfit was often the perfect disguise, as no one could identify her) in the honor of whatever was hot that season, she loved the whole idea of being another person.

Of course, most of the fun came from actually making the outfit itself. While most of the dresses she made were simplistic in nature, many required thousands of certain styles to craft, often overlapping in ways that would make modern fashionista's grow irate with perplexion. To her, this was a fun activity, and she would often slave for days on just one dress in order to get it right (she still got her job as a CPU done, but Kei always grew annoyed when she did this).

This liking for the creation of clothing transported itself to actual wears for regular life. Though it was unknown to even her close friends, many assume that her standard fancy dress was of her own design, seeing as how elegant it was. Whatever the case was, though, she still made many of her clothing on her own, always trying to make a design to give off the whole "only does everything" message she often pushes around.

As for the holiday of Christmas, every year Noire devoted nearly a full week of her time to creating an extravagant outfit fit only for Goddesses such as herself. To tell you the truth, while it left the public scene after a day or two, for a little bit her outfit would be the trending topics of the tabloids, because I guess nothing else is worth covering. Given that it gives her a positive image, she would always guarantee something new every time, and each one better than the last.

Forgive me for the tangent, but it all links up to the current situation. You see, she finally finished making the outfit for this year, complete with its Christmas colors and extravagant look. Unfortunately, she appeared to have made a rather huge mistake. Once it was done, she smiled and brought it towards the mirror, holding it in front of her as if to see just how it would look against her body.

Something about it was wrong. Very wrong.

Was it the bust that was just too small for her, well, breasts? Was it the collar that looked too baggy for an elegant girl such as herself? Was it the stitching at a few points that made it look rather haphazard to gawk at? Perhaps it was the height of it, where if she moved her leg a certain way, she might end up revealing far more than she would like? She just couldn't put her finger on it, and that was why, for nearly three hours today, she just stood there staring at it, growing further and further annoyed the more time passed.

"Jeez, what is wrong with this thing? It looked so good under the needle! Ugh, I have no time left! This is seriously getting on my nerves now! Ah!"

She threw the dress onto the bed and covered her eyes, feeling a massive headache creeping up. She just couldn't grasp how after all this work and all the time wasted, she came up short with a dress she still couldn't figure out. After so many years of doing this, how could she fail so tremendously now? It just didn't add up, and that could only serve to make the whole situation far worse. "Oh, it's hopeless! I can't make a new one now! Damn it!"

At last, she fell onto her bed as well, feeling like a little kid giving a tantrum for the ages. In under a day's time, she will have to greet the press, greet her people, greet her official soccer team, greet essentially anyone she somehow invited to this exquisite hoopla; this was going quickly from being the greatest day of the year to the day she will die from embarrassment. Yep, this will be it. The tabloids are going to have a lot of fun with this.

Still, there was nothing she could do. The only thing that came up was that she could always wear a previous year's dress, but she feared that people will begin crying "oh no! She reusing an old dress! Lastation is going through a financial ruin! Oh, the humanity!" That would make everything swell, now wouldn't it? Naturally this all had to occur within the last minute.

Her stomach rumbled as she yelled to herself; after all of this preparation, she realized that she didn't have a single thing to eat since early this morning. "Well, hopefully I can think better full," she decided, a sigh escaping from her lips as she stood up.

She was completely dazzled by the lights and decorations of the halls, brightening up her path as she made her way to the pantry. She witnessed a maid walk by who bowed to her, bidding the CPU a good night's rest. Noire was confused by this, but maybe she worked herself to a state of fatigue; with all of these preparations, she wouldn't be surprised. She yawned as she entered the Main Hall, with the big tree gazing at her every step, its flickering bulbs appearing to match her emotions of rage and frustration.

No one greeted her in the kitchen, which was both a relief and slightly confusing for her. Acknowledging the steady amount of supplies that would be cooked for tomorrow, she decided to not be picky and make something very simple and plain. As she crafted this simple food, she thought to herself just how hard it will be to unravel everything she crafted; it could be possible to fix whatever the hell was wrong with it, but with the time limit she was essentially held down. "Maybe I can just modify an old one. Less time that way...no, that means I'm letting them win." No idea who would win in this case, but whoever it was, she tossed that idea out the window.

She ate the tiny meal she made right at the counter; it was improper, she knew, but her mind was in such shambles that she really didn't care about it right now. When the meal was done, she cleaned up and left back to her room. She noted that aside from the Main Hall, all the lights she saw illuminated down her path were now dark and lost within the shadows. _That's odd. They're not supposed to be off until nighttime. Did Uni blow the fuse again? She really has to stop target practicing in the basement!_

She plopped down on her bed and looked at the mirror again, though confusion settled quickly as she realized that, if Uni truly did blow a fuse, then all the lights within the Basilicom should've been out. Yet, both the Main Hall and her own room had lights on, so something must have been up. "I guess Kei got a headache. Man, I do to. Maybe I should take something..."

As she said this, her eyes drifted towards the other side of her bed, the one that had the windows facing it. Near where her head would rest was a tiny table, one that had a picture of Uni and Nepgear (it was her favorite picture for whatever reason), a tiny Christmas tree all for herself, and her trusted alarm clock, just in case a maid couldn't get to her in time. It was a simple machine, one that remained sitting there for years. While it still has a shrill sound and was in desperate need of being replaced, it never was wrong; unfortunately it was loud, but never once wrong.

So when she saw that it was almost midnight, her eyes bugged out of her face, with her whole body tensing up. "W-W-When did it get so late? It was 2 just a second ago! Oh n-n-n-n-no, how did I let this happen?"

You see, wearing a dress that could get her humiliated was one thing, and that one thing was pretty hefty, at least to her. However, all of that would be meaningless if she suddenly showed up at the party looking like a wreck thanks to no sleep. A CPU on average needs at least 8 hours of sleep each night in order to look their best (citation needed), and when just one minute is lost from this, well, to Noire it isn't pretty (I highly doubt Vert gets her 8 hours every night, and she turned out okay).

Needless to say, the Goddess didn't care about the dress anymore. She instead turned the light off and pulled the cover over herself, resting her head on the pillow without even trying to untie her hair. "Okay, sleeping in a little tomorrow won't hurt, right? Kei should understand. Ugh, seriously Noire, you got to keep time better. Jeez, stupid dress. I'll...deal with it tomorrow."

With that, Noire went into a peaceful...

Um, okay, now she has entered the realm of sl...

Wait, wait, uh...okay, now she's entered the-

"Ah, I can't sleep!"

She tried for about 10 minutes, but no matter what, for whatever reason her mind refused to calm down. She was a little tired, don't get me wrong, but her mind sure as hell wasn't, as every three seconds yet another thought crept in, forcing her to think about all sorts of things. She thought about Uni, about Neptune, about the supposed planet Neptune, about the Santa Tome, about her dress, about the recent Dogoo outbreak in Leanbox, about her symbolism in the long run...

She sat up quickly, anger evident as she slammed her hands once more over her eyes. "Oh come on! It's the big day tomorrow! Come on, Noire, pass out or something!"

Yet no matter how much she told herself, there was no chance for her in the end. No matter what she did, sleep didn't beckon to her, leaving her alone in this darkened Basilicom, the greatest day of the year just minutes away from existing. If she couldn't get any rest for tomorrow, well, that would just be horrific. She imagined the pictures being taken of her with bags under her eyes, her skin all clammy and paler than usual, with a yawn escaping the lips of her now grumpy-personality. Yeah, that won't win her any shares in the long run.

Especially if, given how some of the newspapers run in all four nations, one of the other Goddesses just happen to stumble upon one of these embarrassing photos; specifically a Goddess with short purple hair with a knack of not allowing anyone to live anything down...

She had to get some sleep, and fast.

"Well great, what do I do, then? Kei and Uni are asleep, I don't want to disturb any of the maids...ugh, this is so stupid! I can go to sleep any other night, but when the next day' important, naturally..." she threw that pillow of hers at the wall and slumped down on the mattress, frustration captivating every part of her. Her eyes trailed towards her unfinished (or incorrect) dress, and steam stormed out of her ears. "I blame you for all this."

Sadly, staring at the ceiling alone in the thick darkness was not enough to fatigue her any further. Knowing that staying in her room at this time would simply be wasting any chance of her getting some sleep, she decided to head out, hopefully finding something that would either expel a lot of energy from her body, or at least bore her enough that she'll be out for over 12 hours. One or the other, she didn't mind.

Silently closing her bedroom key, Noire made her way down the dark hallway, tiptoeing so Kei and Uni were not disturbed; she felt that her little sister should experience this insomnia-induced hell with her, but even she wasn't that cruel to actually wake her up. Tomorrow was just as important to her as it was for the CPU. She kept her feet shuffling so the hardened floor didn't squeak, and alas she found herself at the door that read "Noire's den: Unless it's important, don't bother me when I'm in this room...no, it's because I need to think! It's not like I'm troubled or anything, just let me do my work!" Why it didn't just read "The Den," ask her, not me.

"Well, I guess I still have to finish Falcom's book. Crap, that thing is too interesting! If I read it, I'll be up all night," she pressed her head against the wall, defeat evident in her emotions and pride. She began wondering if there was anything else that needed finishing; she still had to wrap up Uni's present, but that wouldn't take long. She could read one of Kei's novels, but even in her desperate state she wouldn't read one of those. She could take down the lights in there and put them back up again, but that would just be rude. She could read one of Xnobody's new books, but they always kill her in the end; temporary slumber is what she wanted, not eternal.

"Well...maybe if I just sit down, I can think about this. Maybe that will put me to sleep?" her idea was curious, but in the end it just might work. She slowly opened the door and closed it behind her, and with the flick of the light switch, the room became adorned with beautiful blue lights hangin from nearly every corner of the room. She really loved the color blue as much as she loved the color of black, though in a state of lighting, it was best to use the brighter one. Besides, blue has a calming effect that she needed right now.

She slumped down on one of the big couches in the room and looked out towards the window. Being the fancy woman that she is, she grabbed a remote and aimed it at the blinds, and with the click of a button, the fence blocking the view outside went up with a metallic "click," allowing the CPU to witness a rather brutal blizzard occurring right now. "Snow's calming and all...but a blizzard? That's just not fair!"

With a sigh, she began to think, hoping that the thoughts will stabilize and thus allow her to go back to her room and sleep the night away. "All right Noire, just relax and think about tomorrow. Don't let Neptune in, don't let Uni in, don't even let Kei in. Just the party and yourself. That's it. Should be easy enough." She was about to eat those words.

At first, she only thought about how the party was going to go down, and how hopefully it will be far better than last year's (nothing inherently wrong with last year, but you know). Everything was normal then, but eventually she started to drift. It probably began when she thought of the rock band that was about to play, and how she hoped 5pb. Would've accepted her invitation to play this year. Somehow this lead to her thinking about the eventual rise of Dogoos as the dominant race across all of Gamindustri, and how their invasion could began very, _very _soon. That lead to her wondering how Uni could fare as the eventual leader of Lastation, and if Kei would remain to be her Oracle.

She thought about how rain could potentially be the deadliest force on this planet, which lead to her thinking of how weather in Planeptune was far worse than Lowee somehow. This lead to her wondering if Ram and Rom will ever age, which then lead to her wondering if _she _will ever age, which lead to her wondering if Kei and Uni ever age, which lead to her wondering what technical "age" of Gamindustri were they in, which lead to her wondering if Histoire was really older than time itself, which lead to her wondering if time will ever end, which lead to her wondering about the eventual fate of the universe around them, which lead to her wondering if the other Gamindustri's will suffer the same fate, which lead to her wondering if the other Noire's were resting on the couches in their den right now to, which lead to her wondering if there was a universe where she was a sheep, which lead to her wondering if one day a war will break out between all universes for Dimensional Supremacy, which lead-

"Goddammit!"

As if to say she hated pillows, she picked up the couch's and threw it at the wall, nearly knocking down a set of lights. "What the hell does it take to get to bed? I swear to, well, myself, I never have this problem _any other day. _Nope, tonight has to be the bad one. Kinda figures," her voice was filled with anger, but the sounds of defeat were growing more and more by the second. It was essentially midnight at this point, and she still felt as tired as she did when she first tried sleeping.

_I have to do something. I would do anything right now! Anything!_

As she thought this despairing thought, she looked over at her coat-hangar on the other side of the room, where her jacket and other wintery essentials stood in case she ever needed them. It was located right next to window, where the weather outside would hopefully be no match for their protective powers. Besides the cover for her abdomen, there was also her cap (for the season, it was a santa-tome style one, complete with a furry ball at the top), her boots, that scarf Neptune supposedly knitted herself (it was well-done, making Noire suspicious), and of course the gloves she got last year, courtesy of MAGES.

Why was it necessary to point out all of this? Was she trying to bore herself by thinking of the fashion of the wintery season? Was she just so stupefied by her insomnia that she was going mad?

Well, that last one may be on the mark, for she started to hatch a rather horrible idea. Lastation's CPU is not known for making bad decisions, so when she does make one, it has to be _really_ bad.

"Well, I mean it looks bad out there, but...snow calms me down, I guess," She was seriously thinking about it, no doubt, but she soon slapped herself. "Wait, no. It's a freaking blizzard. How is that calming? To Blanc maybe, but not me! This is crazy, girl! You know it!"

But even while saying it, she was still going to do it; for whatever reason, be it a complete loss of hope or just her mind so fatigued (but not sleepy) that she wasn't thinking straight, she was going to take a walk outside. Her outfit for the outdoors should help her, but we are still talking about heading out into the dark with the wintery weather in full swing. Anyone in their right mind would make sure to stay far away from the streets, instead staying around a fire with their friends and family. She would be in a better condition than Win was, but a Blizzard was still a blizzard; protection only did so much.

"Man, this is so stupid. Like, like Neptune stupid-no, even she wouldn't do this! Gah, I can't believe myself!" The more she spoke to herself, the more it became clear that she was becoming mentally unhinged. The sandman had to find her quick, or else we will have a rather cranky Goddess come morning.

She placed on all of the wear she needed and began to leave the den. She looked left and right, knowing that if anyone tried to stop her, she would never get to walk; honestly, she _wanted _to be stopped, knowing this was completely stupid, but one side of her wanted to go through with it, so she might as well keep going. That's how it works, right? She just hoped that any frostbite she got wouldn't affect her image in any way; otherwise, the lack of sleep and good dress would be the least of her concerns.

When she turned to the Main Hall, she was astounded by the fact that everything was still brightly lit. The tree was still as bright as the sun itself (well, go with it), and the chandeliers, adorned with thousands upon thousands of unique blends of colors, still brightened the room to a higher degree. Even the garland and branches that hung from the rafters appeared to be bright, with the bulbs, mistletoe, and false snow everywhere complimenting this wintery paradise. Normally, if she was in the right state of mind, she would have loved to stay and gawk at the room's majesty, but she was scared to think that this would keep her up way longer than she would like. "Focus, Noire, focus. Just get outside, walk for a little bit, and come right back." It was still a horrendous idea, but ah, she made it this far. Might as well go all the way.

Before exiting the Basilicom, she looked outside the windows towards the main field, where nothing but the light radiating from the snow and window greeted her. Snow particles fell quickly down to the ground below, with the wind blowing everything around like a chaotic party. Visibility was already horrible at night, but coupled with the whiteout effect and intense winds, she would be lucky to be able to see anything at all.

Doubt was still in her mind, but if it meant going to bed soon, for some reason this was a grand remedy. "Maybe I should make the best of the situation. I know! I'll just, I don't know, head to the park or something. That should still be lit, so I'll be safe, and more importantly, I'll be able to get tired, right? Oh, I better be able to."

With that, she once more silently open and closed the door, entering the wild world with much fear in her eyes. If she just looked behind her, sitting on a chair right around the tree, she would have been able to see Kei Jinguji reading a newspaper to herself. The Oracle was able to get some sleep, and honestly she could pass out right now if she decided to. She was only up, though, to read whatever article captured her interest. When she saw her Lady suddenly disembark on a quest at midnight with a blizzard raging all around them, she wanted to stand up and slap her silly. Unfortunately, she decided against it, knowing that Noire usually knows what she is doing.

But just in case, she got her phone ready to call the Lastation forces, just in case the freaking leader dies out there. Wait, she really wasn't going to try and talk to her? Of course not! You see the weather out there! That would be suicide!

…

She had to admit, the falling snow and fierce wind actually complimented the night well, and aside from freezing to death thanks to this sudden bout of insomnia, the walk was quite the pleasant one.

But still Noire criticized herself for actually going through with this, wrapping her arms around her body as tight as possible as she tried to keep whatever warmth she could find. Even with the scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and lower jaw, she still felt as if it was completely frozen in a block of ice, the top of her head only protected by a flimsy hat, which she struggled to keep on thanks to the wind trying to steal it.

Thanks to the stormy breeze, though the snow fell at a rather strong magnitude, the roads and even the sidewalks were only covered in a dusting, so traveling wasn't so bad. Still, whatever snow fell always managed to cling onto her, and that didn't help any matter whatsoever. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid," she kept whispering to herself like a broken record.

Sadly, her mind was still in shambles, thousands of thoughts of both relevancy and quirky played over and over again, making her grow numb as she tried to ration them all out equally. There were thoughts of how Snowmen came to be, of how reindeer got associated with the holiday, of how strange snow was when you really thought about it, of how the term tsundere came to be, of how-

With these rampant apparitions floating around in her brain, one would wonder why she kept walking, as it was clear that it wasn't helping. Personally, I completely agree with you all, but I think the main reason why she kept going was that, at one point, she thought of Neptune laughing at her, thus making her think this was all a challenge. I am seriously worrying about this tired woman.

She soon made it to her Nation's Capital City, with all the buildings darkened on both the interior and ex. Sans from a few lights here and there, namely the street lamps, everything was pitch black. On a normal day in this city, even when the clock strikes midnight, cars would be driving up and down, nightfolk would be drinking the night away, some creeps would be stalking others for the sake of their own pleasure, and for the normal ones, late-night workers would be either returning home, or going to work.

It wasn't the same this night, and besides the blizzard, one has to wonder why it was like this, for every year right around Christmas time, no one was ever on the streets. Even Noire was confused by it; every other nation was buzzing on all nights of the year. Why wasn't hers?

Well my friends, here is the reason why. You see, the last few days before Christmas are well known for being hectic, at least for markets and such. In the daytime, this was completely accurate in Lastation, as thousands of people ran around everywhere, trying to get everything done at the last minute. However, as soon as the night drew upon the world, it looked as if everything stopped; besides a few stragglers, no one was on the streets at this time. Apparently, everyone thought that at night, the deals would be better, meaning a stampede should be expected. Thus, everyone was so paranoid to go out, that not even a puddle of individuals was made. For Noire that night, it was a blessing to behold.

She walked down a sidewalk, passing by a meatshop with a sign on the door reading "If you don't want your town to be cancer, go on ahead and vote for Dancer" (some political thing or something). In the distance she could see the lights of the park growing closer and closer, and though the cold still brushed its deathly figures around her, she felt just a tad bit warmer acknowledging this. The walk was surprisingly not that bad; the journey back shouldn't be horrible, granted that she actually got tired from all this. She still had no idea what type of mind she had that made her do this, but eh, it appeared to work. She hoped, at least.

But the main problem she was experiencing was that her mind was still racing everywhere, though it was now finding a subject to remain on for a good duration. Unfortunately, the subject was once again on the failure she called her Holiday Dress. The Clock was ringing its midnight bells as she placed her palm on her forehead, feeling a headache draw in; how did this whole dress fiasco even happen? She was always accurate with every measurement, not once ever getting it wrong (Kei taught her well with numbers). Her whole holiday turned into a living hell over this.

As the wind continued to struggle in taking her hat off, she fumed over what others are really going to think; no, not the tabloids or the damn politicians that I guess exist, but her close friends and family. Will Uni laugh at her mistakes? Will Kei simply shake her head and walk away? These were horrible questions that she played back-and-forth, always sounding more sinister the longer she touched on it. Will her guards and maids stifle their laughs? Will the soccer team feel ashamed that they played for a Goddess in _that_?

Suddenly her mind was filled with the Soccer team.

She walked by a gigantic Santa-Tome Balloon, cautiously looking behind herself at quick intervals, the wind blowing starting to sound like a person following close. "Just ignore it, girl. You're literally right next to the park. Safe there, I hope." As she kept getting increasingly paranoid, she wondered how the Soccer team got into the main focus. _Oh well,_ she thought, _It could be worse. _

The Soccer team had an annual tradition of going to the party and getting the chance of meeting their CPU. Out of all four nations, Lastation's official team (there were like 50 teams in the nation, but only one national one, or something) was usually ranked near the top, Leanbox following closely behind. They were truly the team that a Goddess would be proud of, and thus not looking her best was a terrible thing to endure.

However, she recently heard that the team was starting to play rather, how do I say it, off. They still won matches, don't get me wrong, but they didn't have the same flare as they did for the rest of the year. Most of the time, whenever they won, it was either an extremely close match with a lot of points, or a curb-stomp battle where the opponent barely had the chance to even reach the goalie. Now though, they barely score, and some matches have literally ended in a victory with only one point to their name. They still won here and there, but the losses started to become apparent, and their victories appear more desperate than ensured.

Noire only had the chance to go to one game, and she noted that when she went the vendors that always tried to get a buck had thousands of items for the fans. One player she noted that had the most merchandise was apparently the newcomer, Win. Apparently people were calling her one of the best up-and-comers in the league, and thanks to her youthful and cheeful demeanor, the kids all loved her, reinvigorating interest in the sport for all ages. She was surprised, though, that even older folk liked her as well, considering that in all other previous encounters, the adults would grow tired of the "Childhood Hero" after awhile.

She thought that all the talk about her was either for publicity only, or was just words from children that love to speak highly of others. However, when she took a seat in the arena where she played that day, Noire saw that the talk was clearly correct. Win was truly relentless on the field, and it looked as if she knew every move the other player was going to make; she only saw one match, but she wouldn't be surprised if Win never passed the ball incomplete. It wasn't only just her skill, though; she saw her positive style towards her teammates, and it appeared that they were all pumped for every play done. Her team was good anyways, but the young soccer girl appeared to make everything better.

So what went wrong? Did Win's charm overstay its welcome, and thus it didn't work anymore? Did she get injured? Maybe they got way too overconfident and started underestimating the enemy; that would make sense, she supposed. She wouldn't be angry at them when they arrived at the party, in case they were afraid of her wrath. If anything, she will still be the proudest CPU in the land.

If only she had a good dress to wear.

At last, she arrived at the park, relieved that all the light was casting on her. She had to admit, the combination of the cold and walk actually made her pretty tired, though she wanted to guarantee that her mind wouldn't started racing again. She took a walk down a snow-covered gravel road, admiring the efforts her citizens made to make this piece of land the best Christmas paradise. The humongous tree in the center, with its bright star shining gold like the season's memories, glowed like a beautiful candle in a beautiful atrium. It made everything better for her, and honestly she stopped worrying about that dress of hers, if only for a little while. She found a park bench to sit on, and she felt herself relax against the freezing hell around her.

"You know, maybe if I just resize the bottom of it, it will look right! Yeah, that's it! No wait, that wouldn't...no, but then the bust wouldn't be right..."

Yeah, when I said for only a little while, I meant about five seconds.

Still, it was nice to unwind after all this time, and even with her worries, she still couldn't help but feel happy for whatever reason. The snow continued to fall along with the wind, but none of that honestly mattered. To tell you the truth, if it wasn't so bright, she may have accidentally fallen asleep right then and there. Yeah, then her dress really would be far down the list of concerns. I'm surprised she didn't look like an ice cube yet!

However, her relaxation soon stopped when she heard a rather hefty commotion on the other side of the tree. "Hm? Who else is out here?"

Begrudgingly she stood up, stretched a little, and began to walk over there, keeping caution at a high level, just in case this person happened to be a criminal. Who would dare desecrate this sacred land? _A douchebag, that's who, _she thought, a slight smirk appearing on her lips. Still, a douchebag could be a dangerous felon, even during the Holiday season.

She saw a few guards standing around the park, making her wonder how they could let this person go by without a hitch. "Maybe it's just a guard, then. It could be, I hope."

She soon reached the other side, and observed the production set of the Goddesses and the Horsebird; beautiful tale in her mind, though she never stated if it actually happened. She knew that she heard something over here, though nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe it was just the wind, or maybe the guards in the distance just talked really loud. "Jeez Noire, you really got to stop being so para-"

She soon caught sight of what appeared to be an abnormal lump lying next to the still lit fire. "What on Gamindustri?" she remarked, slowly walking towards it. Was it a small hill they accidentally put the set over? If that was the case, then this will certainly be a disaster, no doubt about it. "I'll tell them about it, but something seems off."

Indeed, something was indeed off. For one, the hill looked human. _T_oo human.

"What the hell?"

Hesitantly, thankful that she had a glove on, she touched the lump, and heard a grown that sounded rather weak. Intrigued, she said "sorry" and pushed the lump , turning the apparent body over. When she saw who it was, she nearly jumped in fright.

Right in front of her, appearing to be a frozen mummy, was the star soccer player herself, looking like she was on the brink of death.

"Oh my god...Oh my god..."

She had no idea what to do. Yes, she could yell for a guard to get help, but she was so overcome with shock that she didn't know what to say. How did this happen? This was the star soccer player; she should be lying in a warm bed in a nice house. Did someone, dear lord, put a hit on her that unfortunately worked out? Did she get lost on the way home and accidentally fell asleep? "I...I need to get her to someplace warm..."

The hospital? That would make sense, but in her worried state, she suddenly blurted out the next best thing:

"The Basilicom!"

She scooped up Win-chan, feeling the cold encapsulate her arms. Knowing that carrying her alone would be a bad idea, she looked over to a guard that was still gawking over a really big candy cane. "Hey you! I need help!" The Guard instinctively knew he was being called on (I guess Kei trained them well) and ran up to his lady.

"L-Lady Noire, it's past midnight! Why are you out so late with no prot-"

"That's not the problem right now! Look, this girl is in danger! Help me get her to the Basilicom and fast!"

The guard looked at her; he was a fan of Win-chan, but he didn't recognize her. "Um, okay I guess?" He didn't know why Noire cared for a homeless person this much, but then again, Christmas was coming this way very quickly. He did want to bring up the hospital, but this was Lady Noire we are talking about; he didn't want to sound intrusive.

The two of them made it back to the Basilicom in no time flat. The guard tried to give his jacket to the poor girl, but Noire insisted that she should do it. Of course, this was a very bad idea, but the CPU didn't mind right now. This was the Soccer team's star, and it was in her best interest to keep her warm. Most importantly, though, she needed to keep her _alive _above all else.

When the two (I guess three of them) stormed into the Basilicom, Noire quickly ran towards the big fireplace at the end of the Main hall, placing Win-chan delicately down upon a blanket. Kei, who was still sitting reading her newspaper, looked on in confusion. She watched as she saw her Goddess yell at the unfortunate guard to get some blankets and fast. "Oh man, do I take the clothes off or leave them on? Crap, what was it? What was it?" She kept yelling to herself, trying desperately to keep Win alive.

At last, she sighed and walked over to Noire, looking at the time intently as she did this. She tapped Noire's cold shoulder, causing the CPU to jump in fright, almost into the fire itself. "K-K-Kei! Um, thank god you're here! Please, Win's in danger, and I need help now! Do I take the clothes off or not? What will help her? Ugh, I can't believe I forgot!"

Kei did feel some concern for the soccer player, but her priorities were always on Noire, and no one else will ever top her. "Milady, go to bed."

Noire looked back at her in disgust. "What did you just say? She's going to die unless we do something, Kei! I can't go to bed now!"

The Oracle sighed again. "I'll look after her. You have to go to bed immediately, Noire."

The Goddess shook her head. How could her very Oracle say stuff like this? "Kei, I can't-"

"Yes you can, Noire. Please, you need some rest. I'll make sure she survives. I know how to do this, okay?"

The CPU looked at Kei rather oddly. Out of all the years she knew her, she never once saw the Oracle in a survival scenario, so how did she...?

Eh, whatever she knew, it was probably more than what Noire did.

Seeing the guard run down the hall, she looked back at Kei with tears in her eyes. "You better be right, Kei! Please, I don't want her to die!"

Ms. Jinguji waved goodbye to her crying CPU. The Guard rushed right by her and looked at the Oracle. "Um, I guess our lady is going to bed? Do you know what to do, because I honestly have no idea."

Kei sighed, and began treating the frozen Win-chan.

Noire soon fell on her bed, trying to wipe the tears off her eyes. She didn't know Win at all, but she still wanted her to live. Noire just wasn't good when it came to innocents dying (then again, no one is), especially when she couldn't do anything to stop it. "Please be okay...please..."

In the end, she finally did find the rest she required, though she departed with two feelings. One, of course, was fear for the fallen Soccer girl, and the second was anger. Why was she angry? Because she was able to fall asleep now when someone's life was in danger.


	4. Chapter 4: Win's Discovery

Chapter 4

The morning came with a bright array of hope and bliss. The sun refused to be seen behind the thicket of clouds yet moving, as the blizzard still rained its hellish freeze down upon the land below. The wind had finally died down, so the classification of the storm could be changed, but let's be honest, it was still not a good idea to be outside in general.

Still, the last day before Christmas, regardless of the weather, was always a mixed bag when it came to people. For many, they chose to remain at home (or wherever they happened to have found themselves that day), while a few brave souls traveled to the few shops remaining open, just in case they were too lazy or thought of yet another great gift idea. A few cars were seen on the road, driving slowly thanks to the frozen precipitation, families or workers within singing along to yet another repeat of that damn Christmas song that plays a thousand times every year (which one? You can pick for yourself). Even during the heat of a storm, the joy of the season was always looming at every corner.

For the homeless that managed to keep warm throughout the unforgiving night, many continued to live off whatever they could, though many still found some enjoyment before the greatest day of them all. For the mother and her daughter, they found their smiles against the mighty thicket, their friends around the drum all leaving them behind as they went out to accomplish their own hopeless goals. As the light entered the world, the mother wondered where on Gamindustri Win had gone, and wondered if she was going to come back. She hoped to see her again.

For the people of the Basilicom, the big day finally arrived surprisingly on a whimper. As the citizens of the city got prepped for the grand festivity, the maids and workers made their final preparations, the cooking being the focal point for the setup today. A few of the workers took this day off due to helping the young soccer girl last night, but even then, they still did whatever they could to make this the best party yet. The Candidate took charge surprisingly well as she allowed her sister to oversleep just this once (whether Noire would approve is not relevant right now), while the Oracle acted as if today was just another day for her workful life.

When the sun goes down once more, the Basilicom will be packed to the brim with all the who's-who's in Lastation, and it will be grand. The bands will perform, the games will be played, and Noire will feel rather good about herself; we hope, at least.

…

For Win-chan, she awoke with a horrible shiver. She felt a large blanket around her form, but she still felt as if Jack frost was wrapping her up in a ice-like mummy sheet. Her vision was blurry as her hands were clammy, but as far as she could tell, she wasn't outside anymore. She saw a ceiling over her head, a design showing elegance and perfection only seen in the homes of the very rich. It was bizarre and foreign to her, considering the fact that she only saw brick, snow, and dirt over the past week.

"Where...where am I?"

Feeling pain in her back, she slowly sat up, allowing the blanket to slide down to her legs, making that shiver even worse for her. Her vision was finally clearing up, and what she saw before her was quite the sight to behold.

All around her were dark-gray walls, painted with craftsmanship only the top painters in the land could ever perform. There was a wardrobe right before her, once again looking like the greatest thing anyone could ever make, and on top of it was a grouping of candles, all unlit but ready to be utilized. There was a large mirror to the left of her, a circular shape with a strange border, looking as if a serpent was coiling around her reflection. Blue curtains hung before a window, which was frosted over from last night's blizzard. The best part, though, was that all of this was spread out far from the bed, to the point that she would have to make nearly 50 steps in order to even get to her clothes, which for some reason were on a lone chair in the corner and not on her.

Even with the shady look, the room felt warm and welcoming. However, Win felt fright overtake her, as the room was quite unlike any she had ever seen.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

She shook her head as she completely threw the blanket off, though the chill in the air wanted her to go back into being a temporary cocoon. She stepped down onto the magnificent carpet floor (its dark blue color feeling oddly enough cozy), slowly realizing that even her socks and shoes were missing; only her underwear remained on, though as she observed it, they most certainly were not the ones she sported before. _Why am I...oh no, what happened? Win, what did you do?_

Millions of possible scenarios ran through her head. All she remembered from yesterday was talking to Isabel and her mother, walking around the local neighborhood, and being spat at by one of her former friends. What happened next? Knowing her past luck, she felt that she was kidnapped by ax-murderers, all ready to chop her up into pieces. Someone sick would say that they would also have their way with her, but this is a T-rated fic, how can that happen?

But no matter what her fears went to, she observed her body, feeling a slight sickening feeling as she saw red spots all over her, and with a touch from a finger, she shuttered as a cold freeze covered her body. She wasn't the best when it came to determining what was wrong, but as she saw these markings, she slowly remembered falling into the snow around central park, the rest never to be remembered again.

"Dammit, girl, you froze yourself! How did you let this happen?"

A sigh escaped her lips as she went over to her clothes, though right as she was about to place on her now-dark shirt, she saw a tiny piece of paper on it. The writing on it looked like it was made from a typewriter, but the smearing of the text made it known that it was actually written by a human hand. It read in all of its monotonous glory:

"Win,

If you happen to wake up, you must remain in the bed and not place these back on. We condemned them. No offense, but you were an idiot for going out there with only these clothes. Just wait; we are preparing adequate clothing for you to wear. Seriously, what the hell were you thinking?"

Kei Jinguji, Official Oracle of the Nation of Lastation, Land of Black Regality

Underneath her signature (which looked somehow robotic in is loopy style) was the official stamp, showing that strange looking thing Lady Noire called her symbol. The sight of both the Oracle and the red ink of the stamp made Win fall down onto the ground. She rubbed her eyes, stammered back up, and looked at it again, nearly falling down once more. "L-Lady Kei wrote that? T-T-The Oracle? How did that happen?"

She ignored the insults the Oracle threw at her as she felt a tinge of glee and joy hop about. She somehow, inadvertently, got not only Kei's signature, but an actual written note; how many in this world sans criminals can say the same thing? "This is so awesome! I...I'm so honored!"

But her happiness soon lead to confusion, as she heard the door for the room slowly swing open, with a kind voice speaking from the opening. "Milady? I see you are awake. I have some nice clothes for you-"

She didn't even get to finish her thought as she looked into the eyes of the young soccer player. Her eyes, so frozen with embarrassment and fear, nearly made the maid run in fright, but luckily the Soccer player was the first one to break the gaze. She made a quiet scream as she ran down into the covers, covering her body in complete shame. The maid still kept her smile on. "Milady? Is everything okay?"

"I'm so sorry! I look so stupid! I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

She sounded like a broken record as she apologized for reasons the maid had no idea. Tears came out of Win's eyes, and for about 20 seconds, she remained like this, making the maid laugh to herself.

Eventually, the soccer player realized something. She looked at the maid, who was still holding Win's new clothing for the day. "Wait...are you seriously a maid?" Her question was genuine, which made the professional woman kind of confused, even slightly offended.

"Um," the maid looked at her gown, where an ID badge was found on her chest, "I would hope so. Is there a problem, milady?"

It was a stupid question, sure, but Win was still trying to soak in where she was. First she receives a letter made out by the Oracle herself, and now a maid introduces herself in this royal-looking room of perfection. Wasn't she homeless and dying out on the snow? What the hell happened?

"No, there's no problem, sorry. I just...I, uh, never seen a real maid before. I don't count the ones from the cafes."

The maid giggled once more, and walked over the young girl, who kept herself covered underneath the big blanket. "Well, I'm sorry if I startled you. Ms. Jinguji said you wouldn't be awake until noon, so I'm glad to see you are recovering well. Please, put these on. There is quite a chill in here," she explained, placing the clothing carefully next to her pillow. She soon bowed politely, and walked towards the door before turning around. "Please, if there is any-"

Once again, she was cut off by the strange look that Win gave her. "W-W-W-W-W-W-W-Wait! I saw the letter over there...did the Oracle really write it?"

The maid gave another perplexed look, but held a smile that can warm the hearts of many a stoic. "Why of course, milady. I'm sorry if what she wrote sounded harsh. That's just her nature, after all! Yep, I don't know how much you remember from last night, but our Lady Black Heart found you lying in the park, near dead I believe. If it wasn't for Kei and her, well...let's not think about it, okay? I'm just happy you're all right!"

Once again, the maid was beginning to leave, but Win shouted for her to wait. The maid was happy to be needed, but seriously, she had things to do. "Excuse me, though," Win began, placing her shirt on, still looking as embarrassed as ever, "L-Lady Noire _and _Kei?" Two names she always heard, but she never once thought she would hear them in regards to her own well-being. "Please tell me, ma'am, where am I, exactly?"

The maid giggled as she placed her hand on the doorknob. "Why silly, you're in Lastation's Basilicom! Lady Noire will probably check in soon, so please, I want you to rest just a little bit longer. If you need anything, there are a lot of maids running about, so please ask if needed."

And with that, as Win felt like she was being lifted up into the clouds, the maid closed the door. Fully clothed now but still feeling cold, Win made a strange exasperated sigh as she fell down onto the ground. She didn't care if she was feeling hunger or the frostbite that plagued her body; she was just told that she was in Lastation's Basilicom, the greatest news she had ever heard this side of being accepted onto the soccer team.

_Lastation's Basilicom...I made it..._

The circumstances in which she arrived to her dream location, no matter how bad or odd, were completely irrelevant at this point. Her idol found her lying in the park of Lastation, and rather than let her die in a mound of frozen precipitation, she personally brought her here, and her own Oracle kept her alive in whatever state she was left in. Just repeating that statement over and over and over again within her mind filled her with glee never seen since that first goal she ever made.

"But...oh, I must look like a wreck! I can't believe Lady Noire saw me like this. Did she think ill of me! Oh no, that sucks! I hope I didn't make her mad..."

Thinking about that reaction made her fully remember the scenario with that shopkeep back in town. As Win was slowly becoming the incarnate of an ice sculpture, all that woman cared about was the disappointment the young soccer girl caused her. All the pain she must have created thanks to being out of the team was probably far more problematic than she could have ever envisioned.

Was Noire pissed off too? In theory, she allowed Win to live, so as far as she could tell, she either didn't care or was only allowing her to live so she could kill the young girl herself. Ew, the thought of her idol tearing her apart was more than enough to cause Win to gag.

"No, no, Noire is forgiving! She would never do that! I mean, if she had to, though, I guess I can't blame her," suddenly, the happiness that Win felt was destroyed thanks now to her sudden guilt. The voice of that woman telling her off sunk her down deep into a mighty pool of depression, or something along those lines. "I let her down...I let Noire down, right? You know, maybe I don't belong here. I didn't want to die, but...heh, I feel like a loser now."

_But Noire saved you_, the not-guilty side of her brain tried to reassure her, _you should be happy. You wanted this, right? Don't put yourself down so much!_

It tried, but her brain was just not listening. "I know, I know, but I just...she was so angry with me. I let everyone down. I just can't forgive myself anymore."

_You're basing that on what, one person? Win, I am you, and I think that is pretty stupid. You couldn't control what happened to you, okay? If they're angry, blame the stupid media, not yourself!_

"But I could have stopped it. I'm just too stupid. I can't do anything right! I had to be saved by Noire; I should have greeted her, not take up space in the Basilicom!"

_Come on, Win, stop that! Be happy! Until you actually see Noire being all angry, which I know she isn't, be glad that you got what you want!_

I guess the frostbite hurt more than just her body. Anyways, after that whole tirade of arguing with her freaking mind, Win collapsed onto the bed, looking at the ceiling as her breaths became ragged. "I guess you're right," she said literally to herself, "I'll just wait...I hope she can forgive me. I must have caused too much of a bother..."

She allowed ten minutes to pass by as her mind thought about the people around the oil drum. The mother with her young daughter, the young boy who seemed to have no family, the elder woman who appeared too old for her age, the girl with the dangerous ex, the foreigner; what were they doing right now? She promised Isabel that she would talk to her in the morning (which of course was now), and would you look at that? She probably disappointed her too. Not only that, but if they are still in that alleyway, they would be probably in the same situation as she was last night; a little warmer, but still in conditions a sane person should never have to endure. She let people who couldn't be any lower down the chain lower than even possible

_Win, I swear to the True Goddess, if you even dare start up..._

Indeed, the guilt was quickly coming back, and this time tears began to fill her eyes. However, in massive relief for her apparently second mind, a sound of anger came from another room. Her guilt was quietly replaced by intrigue, and she looked towards the bureau. "H-Hello?" She called out, feeling like an idiot as she spoke to the inanimate object (we hope).

The angry voice was still yelling, this time sounding as if it was going to explode. It was clearly the voice of a woman, though its power made Win scared beyond belief. 'What's going on out there?" she questioned, finding herself standing up once more, trying her best to suppress the sad feelings within. The carpet below welcomed her feet as she moved towards the door, gulping as she placed her ear on the wooden fixture. She wanted to exit the place and look around, being that this was the first, official time she had ever been in the Basilicom, but she felt extremely rude for even thinking of the idea. "Nah, it's probably just some maids fighting. I shouldn't worry too much."

Yet, as soon as she accepted this reality, the angry voice yelled ferociously, to the point that the young soccer girl was able to understand a few words that came from that naughty mouth. "Damn freakin...I swear to...you'll burn for...blasted, stupid...frazzled dazzle..."

There were a few swears in there, but even though we already wrote in swears in previous chapters, this is still a family production, dammit! Whatever was going on out there, the person was struggling with something, as she heard what she thought was a needle machine running congruent with the angry voice. Was the machine simply acting up? It honestly made Win laugh thinking about it.

The voice continued, sounding even more rage-filled. "Dammit! Seriously, dammit! Oh, it's hopeless..."

She pressed her ear against the door hard, trying her best to hear the dilemma, but instead of finding the problem, she instead took note that the voice sounded quite like her favorite Goddess in the world. It was muffled naturally against the wooden establishment, but she heard the tone and accent quite well. She _was _in the Basilicom after all; how close was she to Noire's room?

"I-Is it really her? Wow!" She said, quickly covering her mouth in case someone heard her (would be embarrassing, I guess). The voice continued, sounding even more frustrated with whatever the hell was going on. She heard the additional sounds of maids in the distance talking about something irrelevant, along with the lights in the hall making a strange sparkly sound, presumably on purpose. "No one else is around...should I-no! That would be stupid, Win! You can't just walk into the CPU's room. You can be executed for that!"

Curiosity was a satisfying replacement for guilt, but she was unsure of what to do. She could easily follow her order in lying down in the bed, especially since it was the comfiest thing she ever felt, but one side of her wanted to go out and either explore for a little bit, or head straight to Noire's room, the law be damned. The maid mentioned that Noire may be checking in soon, but for some reason, Win felt that either it was a lie, or at least too good to be true. She could test it naturally, but the Soccer Girl wanted to meet Noire, and right now, she wanted to meet her immediately.

"This is so stupid...I hate temptation..."

Her palms were sweaty and her breath was stifled, the doorknob now placed within her grasp. She was yelling at herself for being selfish, but right now, that didn't seem to matter anymore. It may be bad to do, but sometimes good people break bad sometimes. With a gulp, she made her final choice, and that was to open the door and head out into the hallway. There was an immediate regret for doing this, but to her, there was no turning back (she could just walk back into the room, you know?)

The hallway was lit up with the grand lights of Christmas, with blue and yellow bulbs bobbing up and down the pathway; the lights normally on within this path bore light as well, but it was no match for the holiday symbols. Garland and fake branches lay upon the very top of the wall touching the ceiling, descending down with ribbons galore. There was even a tiny mistletoe hanging right on the ceiling in the center, and it appeared that two maids (unaware of Win's presence) had no choice but to follow the grand tradition of, well, displaying affection towards the other party. It made the soccer girl kind of happy, though at the same time giddy with excitement. I'll let you figure out what that meant.

Trying to ignore the pleasures of the design, Win perked her ears as she listened for whatever sounds she could make out. Besides the obvious static and murmurs of the maids, she heard Uni apparently on the phone with someone far away, and what sounded like a famous band showing up early to set up their performance. It was all intriguing to hear after a long time of homeless silence, but all were disappointing in terms of her goal. She took a few steps down the hall, cautiously looking behind in case a maid noticed. Somewhere, Kei was yelling at a soldier for apparently sleeping on the couch, though by yelling I mean a type of stern talking that makes one wonder how much stern a person could generate.

At least she wasn't close.

"Still, where is she? Man, this is so stupid," she whispered as she kept her feet as close to the ground as possible when she stepped about; the floor wasn't exactly old, naturally, but just in case one tiny creak ended her snooping, you know? She kept listening, and soon the voice of the angry Goddess rang through the halls. Some of the maids looked around, but none took heed to it. "Is it...common around here? Jeez, Basilicom life is weird!"

At last, she reached the dead end of the hall, with only two doors greeting her. One was fully closed in all of its majesty, with a voice behind it sounding so heavenly, Win couldn't help but find herself lost in a trance. Unfortunately, the voice of beauty was not the voice of the CPU (who it was, well, I guess it isn't important). The other door, however, was ajar, allowing the soccer girl to peer in, rude and all. The voice, in all of its rage, was at its loudest here.

_N-N-Noire's room...the CPU's room...it's right there!_

Taking a big gulp, wiping the sweat from her hands and taking one last hint of doubt out of her mind, she took a quick peak into the room. Let us just say that it was even more exquisite than she could ever imagine. To describe it would be an injustice, so I guess you just have to take her word for it.

She looked from the windows to the huge medallion on the wall, marveling at every site before her. The bed, already set up properly by its owner, could probably fit five of her across, maybe 20 of her in total vertically and horizontally. Even the tiny amount of dust in the very corner of the room looked like it matched someone of high regality. and that just flattered Win for some reason.

However, all the beauty in the room was no match for the sight to the very right. Slumping off the bed was an elegant dress, adorned in the colors of Lastation from top to bottom. To Win, it looked stunning, and if she could only be just a tad bit taller, she would love to wear it. Unfortunately, the person beside it, looking at a mirror out of view with an angry face, would never agree with the soccer gal.

That woman in question, of course, just happened to be...well, let's Win tell us.

"N-N-N-N-N-N-N-N-Noire!"

Sadly, Win's excitement of seeing the CPU in person made her shout her name. Once she realized this, she quickly placed a hand over her mouth, but honestly, it wasn't going to do anything. Noire, who was still yelling at herself, suddenly stopped as she stared at the mirror, clearly feeling either humiliated or startled. _Whoops_, Win thought, _I guess that's the end of the line, huh?_

Yes, dear readers, she could have attempted to run, but for whatever reason, she just couldn't make her legs move. Noire slowly turned her head towards the door, stopping just short of seeing the young girl. "Um, eh, who is it?" She asked, and at that moment, Win realized something quite, er, interesting. You see, Noire wasn't exactly, how do I say this, dressed. She had her standard shirt on, but for whatever reason, her pants were still discarded on the floor, uncharacteristically for her. Win just couldn't help but be struck with a gaze towards...well, you know.

But when no answer was given to the Goddess, Noire had no other choice but to finally look at the slightly ajar door she foolishly didn't close yet. She quickly made eye contact with Win, who started to breathe heavily from fear and regret; it was foolish to even try and do this. If she was patient and orderly, she wouldn't have to experience whatever hell she was surely going to go through. Thus, in what would perhaps be her final moments in life, she once again developed that guilty conscience.

"I-I'm sorry, milady," she tried to save herself. _Goodbye, cruel world_.

God, how long did it take for them to break the silence? Maybe 10 minutes? They just stood there, the only sound being the ambiance of the maids and lights behind them. Noire's face grew redder and redder, while Win lost all color available. The light outside began to seep through the windows as the sun almost peaked through the clouds for once, though the snow refused to yield.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, Noire finally spoke, but much to the surprise of Win and to the red face of the Goddess, it was actually a worried voice. "W-Win, you're awake? Are you okay?" her voice, compared to what she sounded like before, was strangely motherly and kind. It was exactly how the soccer girl envisioned it, or something like that. Still only half-dressed, she quickly walked over to the door, allowing Win the privilege of actually walking in.

The room was enormous, and the full shot was more than enough to let any human being be filled with bewilderment and astonishment, but all Win could focus her eyes on was the Goddess still have naked before her. Even if her gaze was incredibly obvious, Noire appeared completely oblivious to it (being a tsundere, isn't that like, you know, heresy to the character type? I don't know, I'm not getting paid for this). Still, as long as she didn't notice, Win got whatever she needed, though she felt incredibly guilty for this. "Win?" Noire asked again, breaking her out of her trance. The soccer girl felt her shoulders being grabbed as the CPU looked directly into her eyes. "Please say something! You really scared me last night! I...I won't forgive you if you keep quiet!"

"Wha?" Win asked in a strange stammer. Noire kept her gaze on her, looking at the Soccer girl from top to bottom, looking at every piece of exposed skin for any mark that would make her extremely angry. She honestly had no idea what to say to her long-time idol, and now that she was literally a few inches from her face, all her thoughts simply went out the window. Any noise she produced was merely just groans and whistles, making the CPU tense with fright.

"Win? Win, please say something I can actually understand!"

Perhaps because she just couldn't take it anymore, Win passed out in her arms. "Crap, crap! Win, don't do this!"


	5. Chapter 5: Newfound Friends

Chapter 5

She awoke about an hour later, laying underneath the covers of a rather humongous bed. Her eyelids were heavy upon lifting, and just like before, her vision was blurred as her eyes tried their best to recover. "Woah...what happened?" She asked, sitting up as the blanket rolled off of her. When she felt it, she puffed out her cheek. "Didn't this already happen? That wasn't a dream before, right?"

The deja vu ended quickly though, for once her eyes cleared up, she noticed that everything about the room was completely different. It was still extremely spacious and filled with items she could never hope to afford, but the entire layout and style was done in more finesse. She noted the mirror to the side, the mighty window on the other, and of course the impressive medallion right near her head. It showed the insignia of Lastation, with a golden hue in order to make it pop out more against the black walls.

_Wait a minute...black-blue walls, beautiful curtains on the windows...a mirror to the side, with a medallion above me..._

_ Am I...am I in Noire's room?_

She could barely remember what occurred prior to passing out, but she did recall finding herself within the CPU's room...did she pass out or something? That would be truly embarrassing, wouldn't it?

"Win, are you okay?"

She heard the voice of a saint coming into the room, and when her eyes befell the belonger of said voice, her heart skipped a beat. It seems that her suspicions were correct, as Noire once again entered her life, carrying that dress she had nearly discarded before. Unlike last time, she did have pants on, which at least made Win not have the risk of an additional coma.

This time, much to Noire's relief, the soccer girl actually answered her. "Y-Yeah...um, thank you, milady!"

She was still sitting, so her attempt at bowing was, er, strange at best, but she still had to show kindness to the woman who gave her a nation to live in. Noire smiled, a sigh escaping her lips as she placed a hand upon Win's head. "I'm glad. Seriously though, don't scare me like that!" she said, a chuckle coming from her.

The Soccer Girl looked to the blankets, a sad expression on her face. When asked what was wrong, she replied, "I'm sorry for worrying you. I really didn't mean it." As she stared at the bed, she grew surprisingly anxious, and jumped out of the covers faster than a Dogoo running from one of those Dragon sub-bosses. "I'm s-so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep on your bed! I feel so selfish!" Noire was left baffled as the soccer player got onto her knees and began bowing down. "I'm not worthy enough! I'm so sorry!"

She honestly meant that, and tears came out of her eyes. She was expecting for Noire to either behead her, chastise her on the spot, or maybe she would even throw her back outside into the freezing air; either way, in her mind, she deserved every little bit of it. However, much to her astonishment, the CPU of Lastation instead chose to laugh and pat her on the head.

"W-Wha?"

She looked up to see Noire giving a heartwarming smile. "Win, I was the one who put you on the bed! You don't have to apologize for anything." She soon place a finger upon Win's chin, a strange symbolic gesture that somehow made Win stand by instinct. Once she stood, the Goddess wiped the tears from her eyes. Let us just say that the Soccer girl was getting very flustered (hopefully not enough to pass out again).

"You're right...I'm sorry-"

"Win, you don't have to apologize!"

The Soccer Girl jumped, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Noire was understandably vexed by the constant apologies, but once more, she couldn't help but laugh. Win, who was still completely overwhelmed by the fact that her freaking idol is still right before her, started to laugh as well. A maid outside the room couldn't help but smile. Why that was needed, well, it's the holiday season.

She soon composed herself, and bowed before Noire. "I know you don't want me to again, but I just have to. I just...you're so great and...I just always wanted to meet you, and..."

Noire placed a finger on Win's mouth, making those cheeks once more flare up in a crimson color. Another smile appeared on Noire's mouth, and the soccer girl felt surprisingly calm; she had to say, this first meeting was going quite well. "I have to say, I'm flattered. From what I gather, you're a famous Soccer Player, right? On Lastation's team?"

Hearing about her past role made Win feel unexpectedly giddy. "Y-Yes, yes I am! I haven't played professionally for long, but trust me, I'll do whatever I can for the team, and learn along the way, too! I won't let you down!" She sounded so happy to say all this, as if Noire was Isabel herself, with the dreamy eyes and mentality of a wishful life. However, as soon as the sentences ended, Win slowly remembered that her time on the team was done. There was no more "doing it for the team" vibe anymore; there was no learning to be had, nor was there any chance that she could let her CPU down, for technically, she already had.

Noire nodded at her answer, and before she could see the sad expression placed upon Win's face, she turned to face the door again, flipping one of her twin-tails as she got into her thinking mode. "I see...well, that's good to hear," she started to head towards the door, opening it slightly before she turned to face the soccer girl again, who at that time managed to hide her sorrows away. "Hey, Do you want anything? I can easily set up some breakfast for the two of us. Sound good?"

Hearing this, she honestly couldn't believe her ears, and who would honestly? The Goddess actually went out and offered Win a chance that would probably never happen again. Her heart quickly started to soar high into the heavens at the thought of dining with Lady Noire herself, and she felt her body nearly collapse again.

Though it appeared that along with the intense happiness, she was actually extremely hungry. Last time she ate was, what, over 24 hours ago? She learned how not to splurge on eating to much out on the road, but her body still needed some subsidence in the end. "Um, I guess if it's fine with you. I'm starving!"

Noire chuckled once more, and with the happiest face this side of Neptune's standard look, she took hold of Win's hand as they raced on down the hall towards the dining room.

…

"Okay, Win, can you explain something to me?"

Win was busy filling her gullet, so the only sound she could make was that of a "mmph". She had to say, even when she lived in a home with a career that could make her a billionaire, she never had such a meal like this. It was bad to go from being extremely hungry to extremely full in such a short time, but she just couldn't help it. The maids were disturbed how a small girl like her was able to scarf everything down like that, but Noire found it charming. She, too, is quite a character, no?

The Goddess took a sip of her water and requested a maid for some more. "You're a soccer girl, and yet I find you covered in snow sleeping on the ground. What happened there?"

Win gulped down another generic breakfast product, knowing what was asked but feeling confused nonetheless. "Um, well...I just wanted to watch the lights and stuff. They're really beautiful, milady. I'm impressed every year! Yep!"

Noire thanked a maid as she poured another drink. "Well, yeah, they are impressive; I mean, look what nation you're in," a random plug that honestly wasn't needed, but hey, whatever made the CPU ecstatic or something. "Still, when I found you, you looked...well, no offense, but it wasn't pretty. Why did you walk out there with only a jacket. It's not like I do the same thing sometimes, but it's still really stupid. Besides, if you wanted to enjoy the lights, why not go, you know, not at midnight? Jeez, you're just like Neptune sometimes!"

Win continued to eat, her stomach becoming a black hole as it absorbed every thing it possibly could. The questions started to bombard her, and truth be told, she began to feel overwhelmed, but seeing as how the Goddess herself was the one bringing up all these points, she couldn't just remain under an oath of silence. "Well, uh, you see, I...had a rigorous training schedule to adhere too. Gosh, the only free time I ever get is, well, when I sleep! Yeah! So, instead of sleeping, I decided to visit the park and accidentally passed out. As for the clothing, well, who honestly thinks clearly when they're tired, right?"

Every word she said was shaky at best, and being that she wasn't the one to lie often, she had a really bad poker face to boot. Noire saw her shaking, sweating profusely as her hands grew clammy. Her eyes shifted back and forth, and even when she was busy drinking her warm milk, you can still distinctively hear the chattering of her teeth. The CPU found this behavior to be cute and adorable at first, but now it was just getting annoying. Still, she determined, might as well get some answers not at the breakfast table. Win still had to recover from the cold, after all.

"Eh, guess it makes sense."

Win was led under a false assumption that somehow she pulled that off. _I fell so guilty for lying, especially to her, but what else do I say? That I'm poor because I was stupid? That would be horrible! She already has too much on her plate, I don't want to bother her._

…

The rest of breakfast was pretty uneventful. Noire asked what Win was planning on doing over the Christmas holiday, how her family was, and other such topics like that. They chatted like a group of acquaintances trying their best to past time, though they still showed happiness and joy. Eventually, the Soccer Player finally got as full as humanely possible, and the two were able to continue on their day. They overlooked the Main Hall's gigantic Christmas Tree for a little bit before the CPU got somewhat serious.

"Um, Win, can I speak to you in private? It's kind of important."

The young girl looked at her and smiled, waving at a few of the maids (even getting a chance to wave at the Candidate. Let us just say that Uni was somewhat thrilled, if confused, at the site of the Soccer star) as she followed her idol down the hall towards the room once again.

When they got there, Noire slammed the door behind her, making Win jump in fright. "M-Milady?" she turned to view the Goddess looking quite angry, a look that was certain to send all kinds of chills down anyone's spine. "Is something wrong? It's about breakfast, isn't it? I'm sorry if I took so long to eat. I was just really hungry, that's all!"

Noire shook her head, the Soccer Player growing increasingly paranoid about what this could all mean. "Win-chan," the Goddess began, lacing a hand delicately over her own face, "I know you're lying about last night."

Win felt as if her whole body simply crashed and burned. "W-What? What do you mean? I...I wasn't lying! I would never lie to you!"

A sigh escaped from Noire's lips, shutting Win up. "Win, no offense, but if you're good at lying, I'm good at goofing off...which I sometimes do! I'm not that boring...uh, what I mean is what are you hiding?"

The Soccer Player began to sweat and shake once again; her idol discovered her rather-terrible chance at lying, and now she looked pissed. _Oh man, just kill me now, _she practically begged in her mind; her second mind was trying to calm her down like last time, but even she knew it would've been futile this time.

Noire shook her head at the unresponsive girl before her. "Win, just tell me the truth, okay? I want to know what you were doing out there last night. You had me worried sick, you know?" Noire then took a seat on the edge of the bed, patting a seat next to her, making the Soccer girl look on fear. "You better do this, Win, otherwise I _will _get very angry."

Win felt extremely conflicted, but eventually she ruled that she had no choice in the matter; the last thing she wanted right now was her idol forever hating her. "Okay," she said in a rather monotone voice, her head slumped down as she took the perch next to the Goddess. This would normally bring Win to a mumbling mess, but she could not find any happiness in this particular scenario.

"Okay Win, start anywhere you want. I'm all ears."

The Soccer girl nodded, placing her hands together as she twiddled her thumbs. "First, I'm sorry that I lied. I didn't want to, you know? I just...I'm sorry," a tear began to run down her cheek, though Noire didn't try to cheer her up; she wanted the answers now, dammit. The Soccer girl regained her composure, took a deep breath, wiped the tear away herself, and continued, trying her best to stifle her sniffles.

"Milady, I'm...I'm homeless."

Noire looked at her in shock. "H-Homeless? Win, how the hell are you homeless? Aren't you, you know, a Pro Soccer Player? Is that even possible?" She realized how big the paychecks were for athletes of all sports, making this whole scenario quite confusing. Truth be told, she already knew Win played Soccer, being that she watched a freaking match with her in it and all, and from what she gathered, the soccer girl was a merchandiser's wet dream (sorry for the expression). If anything, one match would equal, what, 10 million Credits _on average_? "Win, how much money did you make?"

The Soccer Girl began scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "I know, I did make a lot of money. I think the most I ever made was 85 Million Credits, and that might have been my last match or something. I didn't think I deserved it, but they wouldn't let me argue."

Noire was now even more baffled. "So, like, what happened? Did you freaking buy my nation, what? How the hell could you make all that money, and then wind up homeless? Forget to pay the taxes or something?"

Win shook her head, still looking a mixture of sad and embarrassed. "Goodness, no! I always paid my taxes on time, no matter what!" She looked down to the floor, her thumbs still twitching about. A lone tear finally escaped her face, crashing down upon Noire's otherwise pristine carpet. "It was still my fault, though. I honestly could have been a billionaire and everything, but...I guess I made a few mistakes here and there. All in good faith, but, you know."

"Yeah, I would hope!"

Win shook her head. "I've been living like this for a month now. I know it sucks, but I have to say, it helped me realize the value of everything around you. You have no idea how much I missed having a roof over my head regularly!" Even though she was starting to smile, she still looked extremely depressed. Noire's anger slowly subsided, replaced now with some sadness of her own. She placed a hand on the girl's back, rubbing it slowly and with great care.

"A whole month. Win, how is that possible? If you're in the professional league, shouldn't, I don't know, someone report on it? It seems to be a big deal, after all."

Win nodded her head. "Oh, people know about it. I guess my coach was good at stopping the media frenzy in the end. I don't know how she did it, but I have to say I'm impressed," after she said this line, she placed both of her hands over her eyes as the crying quickly began. "I just...I know a lot people know, though. Isabel knows I went missing, that shopkeep was so angry me...how many people am I disappointing, Noire? How many?"

_Isabel? A shopkeep? Jeez, _Noire questioned within her mind, though she didn't bother asking, feeling it was unimportant in the end. "Win, don't worry about that right now. I would hope people are more worried than anything else. Still, no media frenzy...that's honestly more shocking than you going homeless."

Win nodded, still crying. Noire pulled her towards her, giving her a side hug as she tried to cheer her up. "Can you tell me exactly what happened? I'm sorry if I open up anything you don't want open, but I'm just really curious, is all."

She expected Win to take her time to recover, but surprisingly the soccer player was ready to tell her all about it right from the get-go. "I'm okay with that. I never told anyone else about this, so I'm sorry if I sound off."

With that, she sucked up some of the tears and began to tell her tale for the first time.

You see, kind friends, Win is probably one of the most selfless people you can ever meet. Even with super stardom and popularity, she would never forget who she was, and if you ever saw her during her stint with the team, you wouldn't be able to tell that she was a star to begin with.

Indeed, she made money like you couldn't imagine. At first, she earned only a few million credits, but once the people watching started to connect with her, the merchandise started to focus on her, and soon she saw her payment increase every single day. Overnight, she practically became one of the hottest athletes in all of Lastation, even becoming known to other nations (though that was more with scorn. She was on the rival team, after all).

Other players on the team were of course given millions upon millions as well, and with their money, they spent it all on either huge houses, shiny cars, or other such material objects that apparently represent wealth. They took all the money they received and lived for the moment, a tactic that many a person would probably do when suddenly in fluxed with a lot of credits just by kicking a ball strategically. Some chose to invest it, and for many, this will pay off in the end, unless that money is used for some, er, "recreational activities" that would probably be frowned upon in a few years time.

Win, honestly, didn't really do any of that. She was taught the very art of saving money, but she didn't feel like bothering the banks to make a savings account, so that was never made. As for all the nice things, she felt that other people would want the object more, so she declined to buy anything. This explained why, while other less-payed players lived like Kings and Queens, she lived in a small apartment, with only the basic essentials lying within. Really, a lot of the excess money remained unused...at least until the charities began to pop up.

It started up in the summer. Now, Win has a tendency to get mad at herself if even one person was disappointed in her, being a perfectionist that just couldn't handle it. When she saw the first company trying to (as she recalled) "Save the Puppies," she just couldn't ignore it. Being that she had a lot of money to spend, Win decided to donate a million to them (She later discovered that "Puppies" was a slang term for breasts. Eh, it was still noble). After getting some good press for this, other charities from all over the world came up to her. She more than happy to donate everything she had.

And when I said everything she had, I really mean it.

Not only did she donate money, she donated plenty of blood, some of her personal belongings, clothing, food, and so many other things. She was often tired for doing all of this, but the thought of seeing all the happy faces of people made it all worth it. It was a nice trait to have, don't get me wrong, but sometimes selflessness could be a bad thing, too. Especially when it is excessive like it was for her.

As she kept playing, more and more came to her for help, even some of her teammates, who sometimes found themselves with no money thanks to excess spending. No matter what the case was, though, she would give anyone that asked her for money the thing they wanted. On one occasion, she received 30 million credits for winning the match, and by the end of the week, all of it was gone to donations.

By the time the holiday season showed up on her door, that was when things got really bad.

She just couldn't stop donating everything she made, and even when she realized it was bad to keep going, she couldn't help it. Homeless children who have no family to celebrate the season with? Credits were given. Families displaced thanks to a freak storm that nearly destroyed the whole coast of Lastation? Credits and clothing were donated. Sick children with little time left in the world and wanted her to visit them as their last wish? She visited every single one for as long as possible, and once again, donated every single credit she could come up with to support the organization.

Before she became homeless, she was often not buying food for herself. Every single hour of her life was either dedicated to the sport she loved, or for the less fortunate. Her good deeds would most certainly be viewed as commendable, but when you lose yourself in the process, was anything truly accomplished in your life? She unfortunately never learned that being just a tad bit selfish would be fully acceptable.

About a month ago, she heard of a huge company that wanted to help...well, Win kind of forgot by this point. All that she could remember was that, to her, it was so ambitious and necessary, that she quite literally donated every single credit that she had to her name. It was stupid in retrospect, but at the time, she figured that it would all pay off in the end. Hell, she even sold her own apartment room and everything in it; whatever she thought would be awarded to her was worth more than _her freaking house._

"And, well, that's how all of that happened," Win finished, feeling a mighty big weight being lifted off of her shoulders. Looking back on it, she acted so stupid for doing all of that. Yet, she still felt that it was all necessary; either it came from her actual feelings or she just wanted to cope, she felt that everyone she helped deserved her stuff more than her.

Noire had her jaw on the floor. "W-W-Win-chan. I...I don't know what to say." She honestly didn't. Was she to comment her for doing everyone a favor they seriously needed, or should she yell at her for acting so senselessly, not caring for a second about herself. She heard of people losing their homes because they refused to get a job or by doing something really illegal, but never did she hear about someone donating so much that they lost everything. Was she addicted to that? It was a strange thought.

In the end, all she did was pull in Win close, hugging her as tightly as possible. "Win, what you did was a good thing, don't get me wrong. I'm glad you helped out so many people. I'm the freaking CPU, and I still can't help everyone like you did. I have to say, no matter what you think, you're too good of a person." Noire found herself looking towards her discarded dress, sighing in disbelief. "I know of a lot of those charities, and a lot of them are really good. I wish I could do what you could do. I just don't do enough though"

Somehow, the Goddess found herself walking into a guilt trip, and it made every sense of her mind grow sad with depression. Win shook her head. "Don't say that! What I did was too stupid! You do so much for everyone! You at least keep your house in the end!"

Noire couldn't help but chuckle at that, but she returned to being seriously all too quickly. "Well, thank you Win, and I do have to agree with you on that stupid part," she turned Win so she could look directly into her eyes, "you can't just give people everything you own without once thinking about yourself. It's extremely honorable what you did, but you have to remember that you're a person like everyone else. If you're not happy, then that just isn't right!"

Win looked down at the bed. "I know that, milady. I just don't want people sad or disappointed. I just thought that if I could just do everything that I could, I could make everyone in the world at least content. Though all I accomplished was losing everything I love and disappointing my fans. Heck, there are still people poor and out on the streets with no hope for a better life. I couldn't even help them," she knew people were thankful for her contributions, but the fact that there were still people out there, even if it was only one lady who owned a store or a young girl who worshiped everything about her, that were not happy, to the point of even being somewhat angry with her, made it all worthless to her. "I met a few people out on the road that weren't happy with me. I really screwed up."

Noire got angry, and held Win as close as possible. "Win, don't you worry about people being angry with you. As far as you know, only a few people throughout the _entire _world are actually angry with you. That's it," her voice was filled with pride and reassurance, and though she came out strong-like, she still sounded kind and generous, captivating the entire focus of one Win-chan. "You need to learn something, girl," she started again, "You can't please every single person in the world, homeless or not. I bet that when you played, some didn't like you there. It happens.

"What you have to do, Win, is accept that no matter what you do, some just won't be pleased. It's nothing against you, and it's nothing against them. You can be the biggest saint in the world, and from what I gathered, you kind of are, and people will still find something to complain about. That's just life, Win. You can't let yourself get carried away with making everyone happy, because let's face it, it's freaking impossible! Trust me. You don't know how hard I want to impress and help my nation, and how often I still get more enemies than I ever thought possible. It happens."

She looked at her new dress still neglected after all this time. For some reason, saying all of this made some earlier problems look foolish in the long run.

"Few people not happy, well, that sucks, but look at all those that _are _happy, Win. Think of those that get to live a lot longer thanks to you. Think of the kids that are happy every time they see you play. Sure, there might be people still living homeless, but every credit you donated gave so many people a chance, I bet you. Some people just weren't given the chance to get help, and I know that one day they will be helped, but you can't just help every single person singlehandedly. Take a breather, you know? We're doing the best we can to get them anything for them to get by. It takes time. Be thankful that you brought hope and happiness to a lot of people, rather than focus completely on the sad."

She had no idea if any of that made sense, or if any of it actually meant something in the end; hell, sounding it through her head, it sounded kind of...well, like nothing, honestly. Then again, she wasn't the type to usually give out morals and lessons to those around her (she left that to Kei, which was a really bad decision), so give her credit at the very least (or take the blame to the author instead. Wait, what?)

However, Win appeared to not only accept the information, but she appeared to have found some truth within it all. "You're right. I just want everyone to be happy. Maybe one day that will happen, but I understand what you mean," she looked into Noire's eyes, giving a smile for once that looked as real as when she looked at Isabel. "I hope I did make a lot of people happy, though. If I did, then I'm happy."

Noire smiled back at her. "I'm sure you made a lot of people happy, Win-chan. Be proud of that fact. That trait of yours is something a lot people need," she then went and hugged her again. "Thank you, Win. I really mean it."

Win wasn't really sure why she was being thanked (with the whole selling her apartment and all, she thought she should be yelled at), but she returned the hug. They remained motionless like this for quite some time. Noire, being the CPU that she is and having to run a party soon, didn't mind using the time like this, and Win...well, Win was happy. That was all that was needed to be said.

Eventually, Noire broke the hug, and looked directly into Win's eyes. "I'm assuming you're not on the team anymore?"

The happiness the Soccer girl felt slowly eroded away. "No...I couldn't afford the equipment and travel expenses. My Coach wanted to help me out, but let's just say that she wasn't exactly the one to spend money. Oh well."

She looked so hopeless, but it took looking up at Noire to see a smile on her face in order to cheer her up. "Don't worry, Win-chan. You look like a good Soccer player, and I think it would be an injustice to the whole nation if you were never to play on the team again," she remarked, a sly look playing upon her face.

Win's eyes lit up brighter than the park last night. "M-M-Milady?"

A laugh escaped from the CPU, and even the Soccer player found herself randomly laughing. "Win, you helped a lot of people. I think it's fair that you get help too," She stood up as the soccer girl nearly had drool coming from her mouth. "Tell you what. I'm going to help you get back on your feet, get your home back, and of course, your position on the team again. It's not like I'm doing this for no reason or anything; I really want to help you."

Win stood up as well, the CPU before her looking even more like a Goddess than ever before. "Do you...do you really mean that? I don't want to be a burden."

Another laugh came from Noire. "Oh Win, just accept it! You deserve this after all you did. It won't be a burden, trust me. It would be an honor, actually, to help a really great Soccer player!" She even shot a wink towards Win. Ain't that cute?

The Soccer Girl quickly embraced the Goddess, constantly saying "Thank you" as tears of joy leaked from her weary eyes. The Goddess couldn't help but feel warm at this, and was glad to reciprocate the hug once more.

Once again, they remained like this for a while, though the feeling was much more hopeful than before. A maid once again looked in, and even her heart was filled with even more Christmas joy than ever thought possible. Still, she had a reason for looking in; well, not necessary for looking in, but she had to tell the Goddess something. Thus, she slowly opened the door.

"Excuse me, milady?"

Noire and Win looked at one another, blushed, and quickly broke the hug. "Um, don't get the wrong idea! We were just hugging as friends!" Noire randomly shouted, regardless of whether it mattered. The Soccer Girl nodded as well, though a part of her felt cold after hearing the "friends" comment. Not really sure how else to interpret that one.

The maid, not wanting to get fired, tensed up, trying her best to ignore whatever the CPU was trying to talk about. "Sorry for the interruption, milady, but all the party preparations are fully completed. Do you need any assistance before the folks begin to arrive?"

The CPU nearly forgot about the party. "No, that won't be necessary, thank you. Just please knock next time, okay?"

The maid bowed and left the two of them alone. With that, Noire took one final look at the discarded dress. "So Win, how would you like to be a part of the party this evening?"

Once again (how many times have I written "again?"), her eyes lit up brighter than...shit, I'm running out of ideas, er, um...the full moon? Yeah, the happiness radiated off of her. "N-Noire, I would love to? It would be such an honor! Thank you!"

But as she bowed, she remembered those that were in the alleyway with her last night. She remembered their dreams, their aspirations, their thoughts. Some of them absolutely deplored Noire, but she still respected them all the same. She remembered the young boy who didn't say much, the young mother who really didn't deserve to be out there, and young Isabel, a girl with too many dreams to list. Though she acknowledged now that trying to make everyone happy would be a waste of time, she still felt it was necessary to give those that she loved a chance to be happy, if it was only for just one night. Who knows, maybe they could get help.

If Win was invited to this party, then so were they.

"Milady, before I accept, can I make a request?"

Noire looked confused by this, but nodded. "Shoot."

And Win made her request.


	6. Chapter 6: Epilogue

Epilogue:

The sun never made its full appearance that Eve, but she still waved goodbye as the last of the light vanished from the world. As she went away, the lights among the city dimmed, allowing the bulbs of the holiday season to shine brightly against the impending darkness. The snow, while still falling, began to slow to a comfort pace, allowing easy travel for all the folks around Lastation. Great timing too, for the big party at the Basilicom was ready to begin.

Already, people of numerous classes, big and small, were lining up outside the mighty doors, the guards doing everything they could in order to stop a potential stampede. Among the people were the Mother, her daughter Isabel, and even the little boy (the rest presumably went on to do whatever they wanted to accomplish), who were given adequate clothing by Noire herself. They had no idea why they were spontaneously invited to such a great event, but as she looked up to the sky, the mother smiled, thanking Win for always finding some light in their blight.

Lady Kei was barking orders at every maid that walked by, making sure that not a single screw up could occur on this very special night. At the same time, Uni overlooked the Christmas tree, silently putting up the Lastation Soccer team Christmas Ornament, Win naturally being a prominent figure on it. She never told anyone her fascination with the sport, but for the readers, there's some useless trivia for you all.

The band was busy preparing for their performances, while the dozens upon dozens of chefs, both Basilicom workers and professionals from around the nation, prepared the dining hall with every possible thing imaginable. It was hectic, it was dizzying, it was horrifying; yet, it all seemed to be fun in the end.

The only person missing from the final setup was the Goddess herself, who was busy in her room with Win, the Soccer Girl who was the happiest girl in the world. It was a rather harsh scene they had to go through, but in the end the athlete was happy that the pain was gone. Noire, her idol, was not only a great person, but she was a great listener at that. Perhaps, though, the best thing she could think of right now was that the CPU was a friend. What more could a person want?

After they got the people Win requested, they spent just a little bit preparing themselves for the big party. This of course required the Soccer gal to don yet another dress for herself (she was okay with it, but she was accustomed to the Uni-looking wear from before), and for Noire...well, the dilemma came back to her full front.

However, like what happened with her talk with Win, this problem of hers seemed really, really, stupid. You see, her whole fear was the tabloids based solely on "OMG, she's, like, wearing the dress she wore 3 years ago! OMG, no wai! Total Fashion .TER!" Was anyone in Planeptune, Lowee, or Leanbox going to care about the dress? Maybe Neptune, but honestly, who cares? Everything she made with that needle, besides this year of course, was made with pristine perfection. It would be a waste for some of the designs to only be used once in their life.

And besides, even when she wore the dress she chose initially, she _still _had her critics. She still had some people not impressed, disappointed, you know. Right now, it would probably be the same story again. If the only thing people complain about her is the dress she wears for one night a year, then there was seriously nothing to worry about.

It was strange to think like that, considering she had to speak to Win in order to see that. It was something she never had to worry about any other time, so why now? It was funny to her, really, that it took her this long to see that.

And she had to thank Win for that. Somehow, even though their conversation had everything to do with fixing the Soccer Girl's problems, she inadvertently fixed her own. That was impressive, in my opinion, and she felt that as well.

_Jeez, Win, um...thanks, I guess?_

It sounded rude up there, I know, but she was thankful. Like Win, she felt some weight leave her too.

Now, as the lights grew dim and the people began filing in, Noire and Win stood by the door, hand in hand. Hope was ever-present in their eyes.

"So Win...you ready?"

The Soccer girl was of course ready, but once the question was asked, she felt a tinge of fear crawl up her spine. "O-Of course I'm ready! I'm looking right at the goal, milady!"

Noire smiled at her, tightening her grip on Win's hand. "Don't worry, Win-chan. I promise you that no matter what, when I meet the team, you will be back on it in no time." Saying this appeared to make Win feel relieved, as her shoulders fell at ease and her smile looked more genuine. "I really want to talk to that mother. She looked really nice."

Win couldn't help but nod vigorously. "I know, right? She's really cool and nice," her nice words were compounded by her warm demeanor. She looked over at her idol, who looked at her in response, smiling. The warmness soon turned into determination, making Noire jump at the sudden shift. "I...I want to help them, milady. She doesn't deserve to be there. If I'm going to get back together, then I promise that I will help them too!"

The Goddess was touched, honestly. "Totally got it. I'll help them too, Win." _Though that will probably be more on you...no offense, of course. _Still, she wished Win the best of luck; if she actually did help them out, then that would just make Noire feel all, I don't know, giddy or something.

A maid soon appeared on the other side of the door, looking like an Elf working diligently for the Santa-Tome herself. "We are all set for you to go, My lady. We have an impressive turnout this year, if I do say so myself." She turned to face the young Soccer player, who was blushing as she now realized that Noire was seriously holding her hand. "Will both of you walk out at the same time?"

The duo looked at one another, before nodding at the maid. "Of course. Thank you for your hard work. Please, have fun, too! I'll feel like a Grinch if you didn't!"

The maid bowed, feeling quite nice as she walked away. With the door now ajar, the two of them thought of all the scenarios that could possibly happen out there, though most were undoubtedly positive.

"You ready, Win-chan?"

The Soccer Girl looked at the Goddess and gave her a sharp nod. "Of course, Noire. Always ready!"

As they stepped through the door, Win finally thought that everything was going to turn out okay. She couldn't wait to meet Isabel again, as well as all her teammates and Coach. She couldn't wait to embrace the mother once more, and say that everything will finally be fine.

And of course, she couldn't wait to walk out with Noire by her side.

For once this holiday season, everything was well.


End file.
